Basic Care & Handling of Archival MaterialsNorthern New York Library Network, October 11 & 12

--Deirdre Joyce, Asst. Director & Regional Archivist, CLRC

Introductions• Name• Institution & Location• Expectations for Today’s Class

About the DHP Program• Established in 1988 • Administered by the New York State

Archives• Preservation materials not supported in

grant program

Objectives & Agenda• Discuss the Characteristics of Common

Archival Materials• Discuss Common Causes and Mitigating

Factors for Damage• Discuss Proper Storage and Handling

Techniques• Review the Role of Preservation in the

Archival Workflow• Preservation Forms

What are we dealing with?

Characteristics of Common Archival Materials

Six types of materials• Paper• Ink• Animal Skins• Textiles• Photographic Materials• Adhesives

Paper• Most common type• Made of vegetable fibers•Cellulose • most important element

•Longer fibers = stronger paper•Lignin • responsible for acidity

Paper History• Before 1600

Paper history• Hollander beater, 1680

Paper history• Fourdrinier paper making machine

Types of Paper• Bond• Carbon• Carbonless copies• Coated• Colored paper• Copying paper• Cover• Decorated• Fax paper

• Kraft• Ledger• Manifold• Manilla• Newsprint• Onionskin• Parchment• Text• Transparent or Tracing

Types of Ink• Carbon• Iron Gallotannate (iron

gall)• Copying inks• Modern Manuscript inks• Porous Pens• Printing Inks• Typewriter Ribbon Inks• Non-Impact Printing

Inks

• Ballpoint Pen Inks• Graphite

Animal Skins• Leather • Parchment

Textiles

Photographic Materials

• Prints• Negatives• Positive

Transparencies

Adhesives• Organic or synthetic substances• Often a concern in archival settings• Do not apply to archival materials• Do not remove

And what can be done to prevent or stop it?Causes of Deterioration

6 Major causes• Temperature and relative humidity• Atmospheric pollutants• Light• Biological Agents• Abuse and mismanagement• Disasters

Temperature• High temp speeds

up reactions• Cold storage (at or

below freezing)• Cool storage (40-65

degrees)• Recommend: 70

degrees (+/- 2 degrees)

Humidity• Changes in relative

humidity cause:•Chemical reactions•Physical reactions

More on Humidity• 45% +/- 2%• Low enough to

avoid mold growth• High enough to

keep materials from becoming too brittle

Atmospheric Pollutants• Sulphur dioxide • Ozone• Smoking• Cooking• Off-gassing –

especially wood• Dirt/dust/soot

Light Damage• All light damaging,

most damaging:• Ultra-violet

radiation is most damaging

• Infared light causes damage through heat

• Light damage is cumulative

Light Control• Limit exposure to UV light, even in stacks• Cover windows; hang UV filters, paint black• Fluorescent light recommended• Motion detectors recommended

Biological Agents

• Fungi (mold and mildew)

• Insects• Rodents

Mitigating Biological Conditions• Temperature and humidity controls• Housekeeping practices•No food or drink •Fumigate with caution•Keep stacks and storage free of debris•Regular cleaning, dusting, vacuuming

Abuse and MismanagementThings to think about:• People• Policies• Mismanagement

Disasters• Floods, fires, wind

storms• Have a Disaster Plan in

place• NEDCC Disaster Plan

What do we need?Storage and Handling

Shelving• Heavy duty and

made of non-toxic materials

• Good ventilation• Not against exterior

or basement walls to prevent excess moisture build-up

Paper EnclosuresBasic Rules• Non-acidic paper materials (alkaline 8.5 –

10.0)• Available from archival supply companies• Do no harm• Model good behavior

Plastic EnclosuresBasic Rules:• Use to protect

photographs from fingerprints

• Should not be used on materials in which the media is only loosely adhered

• Labeling can be difficult

Good Plastic vs. Bad Plastic• Mylar, Polypropylene,

Polyethylene• PVC & Acetate

Storing and Housing Paper• Store loose papers in envelopes or folders• Everything should fit securely in boxes• Materials should fit snugly• Paper size should fit box size• L-sleeves provide additional support

Oversized Materials• Flat boxes• Map cases• Matting and framing• Rolled materials

Bound Items• Can include letterpress books, diaries,

ledgers, account books, journals, albums, and scrapbooks.

• Store medium and small items upright• Store oversized items flat• Use boxes when necessary• Tie broken books

Photographic Materials• Store in individual enclosures• Make policy decision

regarding storage places• Separate stored prints and

negatives• Divide materials by size• Oversized photographs

stored flat• Back acidic boards with

alkaline boards• Cased photographs wrapped

and stored flat• Glass plate negatives should

be stored upright

Archival Workflow• Appraisal• Accessioning• Arrangement and Description• Preservation• Provide Access• Reference

Appraisal

Field Survey• Basic assessment• Form or checklist is useful

Materials Transfer• Decide who will pack•Who is in charge?•Moving security

AccessioningDedicated receiving room/area

Preliminary inventory• Discard packing materials• Triage•More detailed inventory, more helpful later

Arrangement and Description• Basic holdings maintenance• Rehousing• Labeling• MPLP – More Product Less Process

Exhibitions• Exhibitions policy•Exhibition environment•Conservation•Length of time• Inventory of materials•Agreement (if loaning outside of repository)

Reference• Dusting• Mitigate damage to fragile materials• Assess materials• Deal with oversize materials• Count valuable materials• Clean hands• Security plan

Preservation Plan• Specific procedures for each phase of

the workflow• Enforce rules equally, internally and

externally• Get management approval

djoyce@clrc.orgQuestions?