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Archival Preservation: Documents in Distress

Archival Preservation: Documents in Distress. An ATC Workshop. What is a record?. Letters Diaries Newspaper articles Books Photographs Scraps of clothing Locks of hair. Derangement and Description Comic. Getting started. What, exactly, is preservation?

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Archival Preservation: Documents in Distress

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  1. Archival Preservation: Documents in Distress An ATC Workshop

  2. What is a record? • Letters • Diaries • Newspaper articles • Books • Photographs • Scraps of clothing • Locks of hair

  3. Derangement and Description Comic

  4. Getting started • 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

  5. Why preserve? • To make records useable • To lengthen the life of the document • To maintain your legacy • Digitization is not preservation!!!!!

  6. Introduction to Paper • Paper • Newsprint • Linen • Cotton • Hemp rags • Lignin • Parchment and Vellum • Parchment=sheepskin • Vellum=calfskin • Leather

  7. Paper Processing • 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

  8. What Damages Paper

  9. Poor boxes!

  10. Damage and Deterioration • Adhesives • Natural (e.g., wheat starch paste) • Synthetic (e.g., polyvinyl acetate) • Binds • Characteristic Types of Deterioration • Staining • Swelling • Brittleness • Failure

  11. Ink and Pencil • 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

  12. External Factors • Pollutants • Gases • Particulates • Dust! • Climate • Temperature • Cool and stable • Relative Humidity • Dry and stable

  13. Light • 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

  14. Gross Gallery mold pics

  15. Mold • 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

  16. Damaging Effects of Mold • 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

  17. The Repulsion of the Giant Spore, or How to Rid One's Collection of Mold • 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

  18. Mold Prevention Checklist • Temperature • 65-70 degrees F +/- 5 degrees • Relative humidity • 45%-65% +/- 2% • Light • Let the sun shine in! • Air circulation • HVAC

  19. Growth Inhibitors • 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

  20. What Can You Do If You Have a Mold Outbreak? • 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

  21. Cleaning up the Mold • 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

  22. Steps • Freezing • Fungistatic • Stopgap • Air Drying • Inactivate the mold • Vented or isolated, to prevent the spreading of spores

  23. Cleaning Books and Paper • 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

  24. Cleaning Methods • 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

  25. Break 10:15-10:30

  26. Preservation Strategy Surveying and Planning

  27. Evaluating Damage to Your Collection • Documents/Manuscripts/Ephemera • Newsprint • Framed materials • Scrapbooks • Photographs • Bound volumes • Damage pics

  28. Types of Damage • 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

  29. More Damage • 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

  30. What to Preserve • 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?

  31. Preservation Survey • 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?

  32. Prevention through Preservation

  33. Routine Measures • Storage and Handling • Acid free containers • Clean hands • Security • Security systems • Security procedures • Pest Management

  34. Silverfish

  35. Document Hospitality • Housekeeping • Housekeeping plan • Cleaning collections • Stack maintenance

  36. The Biggies • Water Damage • Unholy harvest • Mold • Fungi • Mold • Mildew • Mushrooms—really! • Fire Protection • Detection • Heat detectors • Smoke detectors • Suppression • Sprinkler systems • Water mist systems • Gas suppression • Fire extinguisher

  37. The Proactive Solution: Collection Care • Enclosures • Paper • Acid-free • Lignin free • Buffered • Plastic • Custom • Standard

  38. Storing Paper Collections • Documents • Acid-free folders • Acid-free boxes • No overstuffing! • Complete encasement • Interleaving • Remove frames or mountings

  39. Continued • Newsprint • Characteristics • Acidic • Brittle • Oversized • Bound vs. unbound • Preservation options • Photocopy • Microfilm • Digitization

  40. Oversized and Framed Materials • Flat storage • Rolled storage • Mattes • Frames

  41. Scrapbooks • Preservation Challenge! • Acidic pages • Adhesives • Newsprint • Photographs • Storage

  42. Handling and Use • Processing • Maximum handling • Preservation opportunities • Use/Reference • Minimal handling • Copies • Supervised use • Banned substances • Education is key!

  43. Document Triage • Quick Fix: • Unfold Folded Papers • Removing Fasteners • Brushing off dust, rust, frass • Re-housing

  44. Processing Fatigue!

  45. Handling Collections • 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?

  46. The Work in Workshop, or The Hands-on Experience 12:00-12:30

  47. Citations • 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/

  48. Contact Information Michelle Riggs, MLIS, CA University Archivist & Head of Central Louisiana Collections James C. Bolton Library LSU Alexandria 8100 Hwy 71 South Alexandria LA 71302 318.619.2960 mriggs@lsua.edu

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