Technical Records

At the Ballast Trust we have dealt with technical drawings from a variety of businesses since 1988. Our definition of technical records refers to those plans, drawings and photographs typically found in business archive collections such as those for the construction, engineering, architectural, design and manufacturing industries. These records provide evidence of the creation and development of a product or structure and will complement the administrative records for a full understanding of business operations.

We have produced a guide to Understanding Technical Records to encourage the better understanding and management of technical records. These types of collections are often voluminous, refer to technical subject matters and their appraisal and description can appear daunting to custodians of such collections. However, there are some simple principles of approach that can be applied to all types of technical records to aid in their understanding and management.