Archival Preservation: Documents in Distress
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Transcript of Archival Preservation: Documents in Distress
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Archival Preservation: Documents in
DistressAn ATC Workshop
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Letters Diaries Newspaper articles Books Photographs Scraps of clothing Locks of hair
What is a record?
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Derangement and Description Comic
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What, exactly, is preservation?◦ Done on site by archivist or records handler◦ Inexpensive
What, then, is conservation?◦ Done off site in a lab by someone with chemical
background or knowledge◦ Expensive
Getting started
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To make records useable To lengthen the life of the document To maintain your legacy Digitization is not preservation!!!!!
Why preserve?
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Paper◦ Newsprint◦ Linen◦ Cotton◦ Hemp rags◦ Lignin
Parchment and Vellum◦ Parchment=sheepskin◦ Vellum=calfskin
Leather
Introduction to Paper
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Changes in Manufacturing◦ Processes resulting in
Acidic Shorter fibers Weaker paper
Durable Paper◦ Developed during the 1980s ◦ 2% minimum alkaline reserve ◦ less than 1% lignin,◦ good tear resistance ◦ pH of 7.5 to 10.0
Paper Processing
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What Damages Paper
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Poor boxes!
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Adhesives◦ Natural (e.g., wheat starch paste)◦ Synthetic (e.g., polyvinyl acetate)
Binds Characteristic Types of Deterioration
◦ Staining◦ Swelling ◦ Brittleness◦ Failure
Damage and Deterioration
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Ink◦ 2500 BC in Egypt and China
Pencil◦ Developed and patented in France in 1795
Deterioration of Ink◦ Iron gall ink
12th century well into the 20th century Highly acidic Corrosive that eats through paper
Ink and Pencil
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Pollutants◦ Gases◦ Particulates
Dust! Climate
◦ Temperature Cool and stable
◦ Relative Humidity Dry and stable
External Factors
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Papers like the dark!◦ Effects of light are cumulative and irreversible
Sources of Light◦ Natural light◦ Artificial light◦ Incandescent bulbs
High IR (infrared), low UV (ultraviolet) Discharge bulbs
High UV◦ Fiber optic
Low IR, low UV
Light
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What is Mold? And Where Does It Come From?◦ Type of fungus◦ Always present in the air and on objects
Optimum conditions development◦ Commonly
Temperature is above 70° Fahrenheit Relative humidity is above 70%
◦ Uncommonly but still possible 50° Fahrenheit and in 45% relative humidity
Mold
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Paper◦ mold and mildew eat library materials
People◦ Exacerbates allergies, asthma, or other
respiratory problems ◦ Some fungi can cause skin and eye irritation and
infections◦ Prolonged exposure to germinating molds in
closed areas can damage the lungs, mucous membrane, cornea, respiratory tract, stomach, intestines, and skin
Damaging Effects of Mold
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The ONLY way to permanently protect your collections from mold is to control the environment by keeping the temperature within 65º-70º Fahrenheit and the relative humidity within 45%-65%
Consistency of temperature and relative humidity, even if outside ideal range, is better than fluctuations in the environment
The Repulsion of the Giant Spore, or How to Rid One's Collection of Mold
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Temperature◦ 65-70 degrees F +/- 5 degrees
Relative humidity◦ 45%-65% +/- 2%
Light◦ Let the sun shine in!
Air circulation◦ HVAC
Mold Prevention Checklist
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Don't shelve books directly against an outside wall
No plants indoors or near walls Waterproof basements and walls below
ground level Check gutters and drains regularly Regularly inspect your collection for mold or
mildew Install the best filters, preferably HEPA
filters
Growth Inhibitors
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Determine whether the mold is active or inactive◦ Active mold can be colorful, damp, slimy, and web-
like and has a musty odor◦ Inactive, or dormant mold is dry and powdery
Isolate affected materials Determine the source of the outbreak Control the environment
◦ Psychrometer◦ Hygrothermograph
Clean the collection
What Can You Do If You Have a Mold Outbreak?
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Mold does not die! Fungistatic versus fungicidal treatments Freezing or air-drying followed by cleaning Any type of treatment must include some
temporary modification of the environment Inactivate the mold so it can be easily
cleaned from the item
Cleaning up the Mold
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Freezing ◦ Fungistatic◦ Stopgap
Air Drying ◦ Inactivate the mold◦ Vented or isolated, to prevent the spreading of
spores
Steps
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Vacuuming most effective way to remove mold spores from books and paper◦ doesn't spread the spores ◦ HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter◦ Ordinary vacuums should be used outdoors ONLY◦ Vacuum mold from flat paper documents through
a screen to avoid damage
Cleaning Books and Paper
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Clean mold with a soft bristled brush or clean rag◦ Can cause increased staining
Wipe off books or papers outdoors or under a fume hood
Replace rags frequently◦ Store used rags in sealed plastic bags ◦ Wash in bleach for re-use
For fragile and rare materials, or if you're unsure about how to treat an item, don't hesitate to consult a conservator
Cleaning Methods
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Break10:15-10:30
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Preservation StrategySurveying and Planning
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Documents/Manuscripts/Ephemera Newsprint Framed materials Scrapbooks Photographs Bound volumes Damage pics
Evaluating Damage to Your Collection
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Foxing (small brown spots probably caused by mold or by the presence of tiny metal particles)
Tears, folds, and creases; dog-eared corners; abrasions;
Staining from rusted paper clips, deteriorated rubber bands, or tape
Loss of parts of the paper
Types of Damage
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Distortion and staining from previous water damage.
Brittleness and fragility due to acidic deterioration and light exposure;
Discoloration or darkening due to acidity and light exposure;
Staining and weakening from mold growth Holes from insect infestation Acid migration
More Damage
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The hard decisions◦ You cannot save everything
Even with cooperative projects◦ Priorities must be set among collections
You must define your collection's strengths and concentrate on them
◦ Every item may not need to be preserved Will a representative sample of certain materials be
acceptable?
What to Preserve
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What groups of items are most deteriorated?
Which have most importance to your institutional mission?
What is the current and projected use for these materials?
What collections should be your highest priority for preservation within each category, and why?
Preservation Survey
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Prevention through Preservation
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Storage and Handling◦ Acid free containers◦ Clean hands
Security◦ Security systems◦ Security procedures
Pest Management
Routine Measures
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Silverfish
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Housekeeping◦ Housekeeping plan
Cleaning collections Stack maintenance
Document Hospitality
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Fire Protection ◦ Detection
Heat detectors Smoke detectors
◦ Suppression Sprinkler systems Water mist systems Gas suppression Fire extinguisher
Water Damage ◦ Unholy harvest
Mold Fungi
Mold Mildew Mushrooms—really!
The Biggies
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Enclosures◦ Paper
Acid-free Lignin free Buffered
◦ Plastic◦ Custom◦ Standard
The Proactive Solution: Collection Care
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Documents◦ Acid-free folders◦ Acid-free boxes◦ No overstuffing!◦ Complete encasement ◦ Interleaving◦ Remove frames or mountings
Storing Paper Collections
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Newsprint◦ Characteristics
Acidic Brittle Oversized Bound vs. unbound
◦ Preservation options Photocopy Microfilm Digitization
Continued
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Flat storage Rolled storage Mattes Frames
Oversized and Framed Materials
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Preservation Challenge! Acidic pages Adhesives Newsprint Photographs Storage
Scrapbooks
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Processing◦ Maximum handling◦ Preservation opportunities
Use/Reference◦ Minimal handling◦ Copies◦ Supervised use◦ Banned substances◦ Education is key!
Handling and Use
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Quick Fix:◦ Unfold Folded Papers◦ Removing Fasteners◦ Brushing off dust, rust, frass◦ Re-housing
Document Triage
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Processing Fatigue!
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Do I have a valid reason for picking this up? What is its condition? What is the safest way to hold it? Is it too fragile to lift without a secondary
support? Do I need a second person to assist? Do I
need a cart or trolley? After I have lifted the object, where will I set
it down again? Are my hands clean? Should I wear gloves?
Handling Collections
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The Work in Workshop, or The Hands-on Experience
12:00-12:30
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http://unfacilitated.preservation101.org/loggedin.asp
http://www.lyrasis.org/Preservation/Resources-and-Publications/Invasion-of-the-Giant-Mold-Spore.aspx
http://derangementanddescription.wordpress.com/
Citations
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Michelle Riggs, MLIS, CAUniversity Archivist &
Head of Central Louisiana CollectionsJames C. Bolton Library
LSU Alexandria8100 Hwy 71 SouthAlexandria LA 71302
Contact Information