Lecture-3.pdf

Storing and Handling Documentary/Archival Materials Presented by: Ms. Kimberly A. Villan, RL  At the end of the lesson, you must be able to: - learn the important basics of storage environment Learning and location, offsite storage, storage supplies,...

Storing and Handling Documentary/Archival Materials Presented by: Ms. Kimberly A. Villan, RL  At the end of the lesson, you must be able to: - learn the important basics of storage environment Learning and location, offsite storage, storage supplies, records retrieval, and the proper management of Objectives & restricted records; Scope: - present valuable information on preserving and storing all forms of records media, including paper, magnetic, photographic, and electronic media. Preserving and storing your records properly will not only add value to your collections but will also allow you to better serve those who request access to your holdings. Good preservation and storage practices should be based on common sense, and you should use the best resources available to you. Storing and Handling Documentary/Archival Materials Storage and housing systems for archival materials should enhance safe access while at the same time providing overall support and protecting materials from physical, chemical, or mechanical damage. Storing and Handling Documentary/Archival Materials All materials used to fabricate storage and housing systems for archival records must be chemically stable over time and must not cause or initiate any reaction that could adversely affect collections. Storing and Handling Documentary/Archival Materials Materials that must be scrutinized include papers, paperboards, plastics, adhesives, metals, textiles, wood, paints and finishes, and all associated components.  The most important issues you need to What are the consider when preserving and storing preservation your collections have to do with the and storage -quality of the storage environment; issues common -Location; to all types of -use of offsite storage space; government -storage and handling supplies; records? -ease of records retrieval; and -access to restricted records.  üMaintaining a stable temperature and relative humidity, as well as protecting your collections from water and direct light, will greatly increase the quality and life of your collections. Storage üThe ideal storage area has an environment Environment that is maintained at a constant 65-70F and 45- 50% relative humidity. If you are unable to maintain such an environment. However, try to keep the temperature and relative humidity as constant as possible. REVIEW  üWater poses a threat to the stability of your collections, for not only can water directly damage your collections, but it can also create a moist environment that promotes the growth Storage of mold. In general, avoid storing your collections near water pipes. Arrange storage Environment shelves and aisles so that any water pipes are located over the aisles, not the shelves. Also, try to avoid storing your collections in rooms that are below other rooms containing water pipes. REVIEW  Direct light, natural and artificial, can have an impact on the stability of your collections. Not only can direct light fade documents and artifacts, but it can also increase the temperature of your storage room. To reduce Storage the amount of direct light in your storage areas, Environment you can: ØStore collections in rooms that have no windows. ØCover windows with shades or blinds. ØTurn the lights off when the room is not in use. REVIEW  Another important consideration when storing your collections is the location of your storage areas. When evaluating building space for storage, you need to consider these issues. Storage 1. Ease of Records Retrieval Location 2. Adequate Structural Support 3. Available Space 4. Ease of Maintenance 5. Effective Security  Another important consideration when storing your collections is the location of your storage areas. When evaluating Storage building space for storage, you need to Location consider these issues. 1. Ease of Records Retrieval - The best location for storing your collections will allow you to easily retrieve records when they are needed.  Another important consideration when storing your collections is the location of your storage areas. When evaluating building space for storage, you need to Storage consider these issues. Location Adequate Structural Support - Your storage area should be able to structurally support large quantities of boxes and artifacts. Items can be very heavy, and by locating them on weight-bearing floors, you can ensure that structural damage to the building, such as sagging floors, does not occur.  Another important consideration when storing your collections is the location of your storage areas. When evaluating building space for storage, you need to consider these issues. Storage Available space - When selecting a storage Location location for your collections, you should consider future storage space needs as well as current needs. It is best to use one large room for your collections, and the room should provide plenty of open area for future storage. As your collections grow, it will be much easier to maintain one storage environment rather than the environments of several closets or smaller rooms.  Another important consideration when storing your collections is the location of your storage areas. When evaluating building space for storage, you need to consider these Storage issues. Location Ease of maintenance - Select a location that is easy to maintain and clean. Limit non-collection items, such as trash and food, in the storage area to help prevent clutter and pests. A clean and open space will also make record retrieval easier. Limiting dust will protect your collections from damage caused by dust accumulation and small insects.  Another important consideration when storing your collections is the location of your storage areas. When evaluating building space for storage, you need to consider these issues. Effective security -Keep building security in mind when selecting a storage area for your collections. You should also consider the security of Storage your records by monitoring their use. The following tips provide guidance on keeping your collections secure. Location 1. Follow local fire & building codes 2. Perform routine maintenance and keep your building in good repair. 3. Keep your storage areas separate from public areas. 4. Allow only staff or volunteers to retrieve records, and monitor the use of records.  If you are thinking of using offsite storage, it is important to consider these questions:  How far away is the offsite storage location?  How will you record and inventory the offsite records?  Who will keep the offsite storage area clean and secure? Offsite  Who will retrieve the records? Storage  What means of transportation will you use to retrieve offsite records?  How long will researchers have to wait for records?  How often will you need to visit the offsite storage area?  How secure is your offsite storage location?  Certain supplies can make record preservation, storage, and handling more convenient and can improve the life of your collections. Suggested supplies to be used: 1. Boxes - Use boxes for preventing light and dust from damaging records. Box sizes should be limited to one or two for space economy. Try to limit the filled box weight to a maximum of 40 pounds to avoid personal injury when handling them. 2. Folders - Use folders for organizing records and making record retrieval easier. Folders Storage and are available in letter and legal size. Handling 3. Pencils (not pens) - Use pencils for labeling and documenting. Pens should be avoided since ink can fade, bleed, and cause unwanted marks on valuable records. Suppliers 4. White gloves – White gloves are typically used when handling delicate or valuable records. They help prevent oils, dirt, and other contaminants on the skin from coming into contact with the records. 5. Shelves - Use shelves to protect and provide easy access to records. They should be tall and deep enough to accommodate the box sizes you use. Metal shelves are preferred over wood shelves since the pitch, resin, acids, and gasses in wood can leach out and damage your collections. If you use wood shelving, be sure to seal the wood thoroughly. You might need to purchase access equipment such as stepstools, ladders, and forklifts to reach items on upper shelves. How should In general, paper records are best stored in you preserve boxes. However, some paper-based materials might be of a size or packaged in such a way and store that makes box storage impractical. For this volumes and reason, you need to specifically address issues oversized regarding volumes and oversized paper documents? documents.  For example, you may need to store oversized documents such as maps, blueprints, posters, and architectural drawings, and they can be very How should inconvenient to store. These can be stored flat in you preserve large boxes, drawers, or on shelves in oversized and store folders (try not to make the folders too full or volumes and they might become too awkward to handle). oversized Other options include using special containers if you need to store rare, valuable, and damaged documents? volumes. These containers can be obtained from a number of suppliers such as those listed above or made in-house.  Documents can also be rolled. When using this method be sure to sandwich the documents between protective inner and outer layers, keeping the How should documents from resting directly on the tube and protecting them from the storage environment. Use you preserve fabric ties or string rather than rubber bands to hold and store the roll together (rubber bands can cause the volumes and documents to wrinkle and tear). Store rolls side-by- side rather than by stacking, as the weight of the rolls oversized can easily crush the documents you are trying to documents? protect. If you use a storage tube for housing documents, use a tube that is longer than the documents to keep the ends of the documents from wrinkling or tearing.  The preservation and storage issues discussed so far apply to all types of records, whether they are paper or non-paper records. How should Certain record types such as microfilm, audio/visual, you preserve and electronic records (all referred to as records media), however, have special storage issues that you and store non- need to consider. paper records? And given their high susceptibility to damage, it is very important that you adopt special storage practices when storing records media. Some of the storage issues that all records media have in common are listed below. How should You will need specialized equipment for records you preserve m e d i a. Equipment, such as playback machines, computers, and store non- and headphones, can be space consuming, and might paper records? require a separate area for use by staff and researchers.  You will need to maintain your records media How should e q u i p m e n t. you preserve Records media are particularly susceptible to dust, and store non- dirt, and scratches, and you will need to regularly paper records? clean and maintain the equipment and equipment rooms. Overtime, equipment may also become obsolete.  You will need to inspect your records media regularly. How should Inspect samples of the media (audio and video cassettes, microfilm, and electronic records) annually for damage to you preserve records and machines and to make sure the media continues to and store non- work properly. If you find damaged media, you should migrate the record data to a new copy immediately. If you paper records? have recently upgraded a machine, be sure to test a sample of the medium on the new machine to be sure you can still read the old data. How should Make copies of records media for regular use. you preserve Store masters of records media in a safe location and and store non- make copies for everyday use. Someday you might paper records? need to make new copies or migrate data, in which case a reliable master is essential. How should You should periodically migrate records media data. you preserve To ensure that you can access old data, migrate records media to new media every five to ten years, and store non- depending on the media’s expected lifespan. This also paper records? keeps you up to date with the latest standards in hardware and software.  You might need to adjust your storage environment How should f o r r e c o r d s m e d i a. you preserve To increase the life expectancy and color stability of and store non- microfilm and audio/visual records media, consider paper records? lowering the storage environment temperature and relative humidity an additional 10°F and 10%, respectively. How should You will need to budget for additional costs. you preserve If you expect to use and acquire records media, be and store non- sure that your budget includes costs for equipment paper records? purchase and maintenance, data migration, new media, and environmental controls. Microfilm is commonly used in government offices and historical societies. When storing microfilm, mount it on stable reels and cores, and check the reels regularly to ensure that they are not falling apart and damaging the film. Store the film upright in storage containers such as boxes, cabinets, or drawers that protect the film from light and dust, and label the containers as you would storage containers for other media. Always rewind microfilm before you store it.  Include audio tapes, video tapes, film, photographs, and negatives. Because these records provide a unique witness to government activities by allowing us to see and hear government in action, it is important to know how to preserve these records properly. In most instances audio/visual materials are protected in cases or on reels. Despite their protective casings, it is still possible to directly contact these media, and oils and dirt transmitted from human contact can add to their deterioration. Therefore, it is wise to wear gloves when handling this type of media, especially Audio/Visual when working with film, photographs, and tape when they are out of their casings or off their reels. Keep these materials out of light to avoid heat damage Materials and image fading. Label all audio tapes, video tapes, and reel film with a date, title, length, creator, type of film or hardware brand, and location. It is best to store audio tapes, video tapes, and reel film vertically so that the tape in the cassette is resting suspended on its spool. Storing these records media horizontally causes the tape or film to rest on its edge, and might bend or warp the tape or film. You might want to consider removing the safety tabs on the cassettes to prevent accidental erasure of data. Be sure to rewind tapes before storing them. Photographic Materials Photographic materials have their own special storage requirements. When storing these media, store them individually in folders or envelopes. To help preserve the image, label the storage envelope rather than the photograph or negative itself. If possible, keep the original photograph in a safe storage area and use a copy of the photograph for exhibit displays. Photographic Materials Use as much identifying information as possible for labeling. Images that are identified are far more valuable than those that are not. Determine as much information as possible from the photograph or negative and include this information on the label. Label information might include photographer, subject, date, names, location, and donor. Electronic Records  To avoid warping, store disks vertically in boxes or cases, and do not subject disks to pressure. Store compact discs in their jewel cases to prevent scratching and breaking.  Be sure to document the records adequately. When documenting the contents of electronic media, include information such as the system, hardware, and software used for creating the record; the date created and date modified; the name of the creator and the modifier; and any access restrictions.  Works on paper generally refer to flat (as opposed to bound) paper materials, including documents, manuscripts, drawings, prints, posters, and maps. Taking care when handling any collection item is one of the more effective, cost-efficient, and easily achieved preservation measures. Proper Care Take proper care when handling flat works on paper by: and Handling  Having clean hands and a clean work area of Works on  Keeping food and drink away  Using pencil, not ink, to make any necessary marks or inscriptions; in Paper addition, only make inscriptions when the paper is on a clean, hard surface, to avoid embossing the inscription into the paper, which will be visible from the other side  Not using paper clips, other fasteners, "dog ear" folding to mark or organize leaves  Not using rubber bands, self-adhesive tape, and/or glue on paper  Good storage significantly prolongs the preservation of paper materials and includes:  A cool (room temperature or below), relatively dry (about 35% relative humidity), clean, and stable environment (avoid attics, basements, and other locations with high risk of leaks and Proper environmental extremes) Storage of  Minimal exposure to all kinds of light; no exposure to direct or Works on intense light Paper  Distance from radiators and vents  Supportive protective enclosures*  Unfolded and flat or rolled storage for oversized papers  Individual/isolated storage of acidic papers to prevent acids from migrating into the other works on paper  Hardcover books appear to be the most robust of the paper-based materials because of their hard covers and complex construction. Careful viewing of any book collection. However, will reveal that those very properties work against the items when improperly stored. To prevent damage to books while sitting on the shelf and while being used, a few relatively simple steps should be taken: adequate air circulation, proper shelving practices, housing books in custom protective enclosures where needed, and encouraging safe handling BOUND practices for staff and users.  To prevent damp or stagnant pockets of air (that can lead to mold VOLUMES growth) good air circulation should be maintained in storage areas. To help promote circulation:  do not block or deflect heating or cooling vents;  store books at least three inches away from exterior walls, especially when in below-grade storage areas; and  periodically open closed cabinets, especially those housed against exterior walls or those that are fireproof.  The first step in safely storing bound volumes is to ensure adequate shelving. Shelving that is too shallow allows books to extend beyond the Shelving edges of the shelf, which exposes them to book Bound trucks, backpacks, vacuums, and feet. If the Volumes shelving is not sufficiently strong, shelves can bow and the entire unit can become unstable. Finally, some shelving units contain by- products that contribute to the deterioration of collections or have rough surfaces that can be abrasive. Right - safest bookend Left - adequate bookend  To avoid damaging bindings, books need to be shelved upright and supported. Non-damaging Shelving bookends with smooth surfaces and broad edges prevent bindings from being abraded and Bound leaves from being torn or creased. Wire Volumes bookends that are built into shelving are less desirable as they are frequently an incorrect size and often damage short and tall books.  In a relatively static collection, it may be possible to arrange volumes so that shelves are full, preventing books from leaning. In actively Shelving growing and changing collections—in addition Bound to providing support—it is also important to Volumes provide adequate space for expansion of the collection. Books should not be shelved so tightly that they are damaged when they are removed from the shelf.  If books are too tall to fit appropriately on the shelf, they may be moved or shelves rearranged Shelving so that the books fit on the shelves standing Bound upright. If moving or rearranging is not possible, Volumes store volumes with the spine down (storing a book with the spine up may cause the text to pull out of the binding due to its weight).  Call numbers can be moved from the spine to the upper right corner of the cover for oversize volumes (height is determined by an individual i n s t i t u t i o n ’s s h e l f h e i g h t ) t o a l l o w f o r Shelving identification when shelved in this way. As much as can be managed, shelve books by size Bound since small volumes cannot adequately support Volumes larger ones. Inadequate bookend  Candidates for protective enclosures include: Custom volumes with fragile bindings of special value Protective that should be retained in their present Enclosures condition; damaged books that have low value or are rarely used and do not warrant treatment or repair of the binding; thin, small, fragile, limp, or oddly-shaped volumes; and parchment bindings.  Drop-spine boxes provide rigid support and restraint, especially for parchment bindings, which can easily warp in fluctuating environments. Damage to book from being stored spine up  Handling Bound Volumes Poor handling procedures can cause significant damage to books, resulting in restricted, delayed, or discontinued use, or requiring expensive treatments before the volume can be used again. Pulling a volume off the shelf by the headcap can damage the spine and joints of the book. Incorrect method of removing a book from the shelf  Handling Bound Do not pull on the headcap of a book when removing it from the shelf. Instead, there are two alternatives. The first is to put a Volumes finger on top of the pages (rather than the headcap) and gently tilt the book out. The other is to push in the books on either side of the desired book. Then pull out the desired book by gently grasping it on both sides with the thumb and fingers (or pull the book out by using the textblock as leverage, not the headcap). Once removed, the remaining books on the shelf and the bookends can be shifted so all books are supported. When the book is replaced, the bookend should be loosened, the books moved on the shelf to make a space, and the book reinserted in the space. The bookend should then be repositioned. Incorrect method of removing a book from the shelf  When oversize books that are stored flat are removed, tr ansfe r the u ppe r v o l u m e s t o a p e r m a n e n t l y Handling dedicated and labeled empty shelf or book truck. Lift Bound oversize volumes with both hands, and once the desired volume is reached, return removed volumes to Volumes the shelf. Putting the book back on the shelf should be done in the same way. For very large or heavy volumes, two people may be necessary to reduce the risk of injury. Using book trucks to move volumes is strongly recommended. When using book trucks, use bookends as if the books were on the shelf, or stack volumes according to size so they do not extend beyond the edges of the truck. Keep the center of gravity of the loaded truck low to help stabilize it and use extra caution when wheeling truc k s in to an d out of elev ators o r o v e r thresholds to prevent items falling off the cart. Photocopying or Scanning Bound Volumes Books are often unnecessarily damaged during copying. Photocopy machines and flatbed scanners encourage pressing the binding flat in order to get a good image. Overhead scanners are better for public use because they allow a book page to be copied with the book open less than 180 degrees. Copying or scanning of books from special collections should be done by staff members (if the materials are particularly fragile). If materials are stable and an overhead scanner is available, researchers can be trained to make their own copies. Digital cameras can also be used with the proper policies in place.  When marking special collections materials, the best practice is to use non-damaging methods. Interior markings should only be made in pencil. Painting call numbers on spines or attaching labels with pressure-sensitive tape can be permanently Marking disfiguring or damaging, and may discolor the binding. Call numbers can either be typed onto text-weight, alkaline paper Special flags placed inside the volume, or placed on a box containing Collections the volume. Materials Flags should be about two inches wide and two to three inches longer than the book is high. Avoid the flags with cut out tabs that fit over the page as they can be damaging. For volumes with powdery leather bindings, a dual solution can be to construct polyester film jackets and place call number labels on the jacket, thus labeling the volume and protecting adjacent volumes from the red rot.  Attaching bar code labels to special collections Marking materials is not recommended because the Special books may be damaged by the adhesives or during future removal of the label. If bar codes, Collections RFID tags, or any other adhesive label must be Materials used, the tag can be attached to a flag, on the box, or on a polyester film jacket as mentioned above.  Pamphlets are small texts not bound in hard covers, yet often stored with hardbound texts. Because of this, pamphlets sustain considerable damage unless they are stored in a protective enclosure. One of the most common enclosures is a pamphlet binder. When using binders, select those that do not require gluing the Pamphlets pamphlet in but those that allow the pamphlet to be sewn in, or have pockets or 4-flap enclosures built in. Binders with pre-glued hinges will obscure information and damage the paper of the cover and pages of the pamphlet over time. Modern pamphlets can be stapled into binders if stainless steel staples are used. Historic or brittle pamphlets are best housed in binders with 4-flap wrappers or in folders in boxes.  UNBOUND DOCUMENTS   Unbound documents should be housed in acid-free, lignin-free, buffered file folders. When the paper is Storage and stable, several sheets can be stored in one folder by Boxing creasing the bottom of the folder to accommodate the thickness of the papers. Fragile paper may require fewer sheets per folder or an individual polyester sleeve.   Documents and manuscripts should be unfolded for storage if this can be done without splitting or Storage and fracturing them. If a fragile paper resists unfolding, or Boxing if unfolding may result in damage, a preservation or conservation professional should be consulted before proceeding. Letters should be stored with their corresponding envelopes.   For paper collections, objects of the same size and category should be stored together. Differences in size and thickness within an enclosure create a Storage and potential for physical damage, so it is not advisable to Boxing store flat sheets in the same box with books or pamphlets. For the same reason, heavy objects should be stored separately from lighter ones, as should bulky objects, which cause uneven pressure inside boxes. Storage and Boxing Folders in box with spacer Flat boxes should be stacked only two to three high to facilitate access and prevent crushing of boxes. In upright storage boxes, documents and folders should be well supported to prevent slumping, which will deform the contents. Spacers made from chemically stable materials can be used to fill in empty space to support the folders.  When using documents and manuscripts, try to handle only blank areas of the page. After Handling use, pages should be stacked neatly in the Unbound folder and the folder returned to its proper Documents place in the box. When handling oversize materials, be sure to have adequate room for handling, viewing, and unrolling.  Unbound documents and manuscripts can be damaged during copying or scanning. Care should be taken when handling any brittle Photocopying materials to prevent tears or losses. Page- or Scanning turners should be available to help lift fragile Documents paper and the paper should not be allowed to slide under the frame of the platen. Multiple page documents should never be sent through the form feed on a copier or scanner.  Oversize materials—such as architectural Unbound drawings, blueprints, maps, large prints, and Oversize wallpaper samples—are best stored flat in the Materials drawers of map cases or in large covered boxes of acceptable quality.  If they are flexible and strong enough, oversize materials that are too large to fit in the drawers can sometimes be rolled for storage. Some Unbound items need to be rolled individually; others can be rolled in groups of four to six similar-size Oversize items, the exact number depending on the size Materials and weight of the paper. Roll items on the exterior of a tube several inches longer than the largest item being rolled and at least four inches in diameter, larger diameters are preferable.  Tubes should be stored horizontally, rather than vertically, to prevent items from getting crushed on the edges. Tubes can be stored on shelves, on racks, or using any other method that prevents them from rolling away or being bumped on the ends. Oversize collection rolled on a tube. USE OF GLOVES TO PROTECT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS USEDURING OF GLOVES TO PROTECT HANDLING SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DURING HANDLING In many research libraries, users are required to wear white cotton gloves when handling archival and library materials in special collections. This practice has fallen out of favor because white gloves provide limited protection for collections and reduce tactile sensitivity making it difficult to handle collections carefully and ultima tely increa s ing t h e NOTE: Instead of wearing gloves, it is recommended that users be required to wash and dry their hands carefully before using collections, and to rewash them whenever they begin to feel dirty. Hand washing is preferable to using alcohol-based hand sanitizing gels. While these products may be effective in killing germs, they do not remove dirt and leave behind lotions and oils that can be damaging to collection materials. Knowing how storage and handling methods will impact the useful life of collections and the accessibility of information will lead to improved policies and procedure. By avoiding overcrowded, careless, or haphazard storage conditions, improperly sized shelving, and chemically unstable storage enclosures, the longevity of collections can be extended significantly. While even normal use causes wear, rough handling can cause extensive damage that requires repair or replacement. Adopting improved storage methods and handling procedures will enable large collection to be preserved with systematic care particular to the many individual items.   Managing your government records: guidelines for archives and agencies. A c c e s s e d i n : https://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/recordsguidelines/guidelines5.php REFERENCES:  C a r e , H a n d l i n g , a n d S t o r a g e o f Wo r ks o n P a p e r. A cc e s s e d i n : https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/paper.html  Storage and Handling. Accessed in: https://www.nedcc.org/free- resources/preservation-leaflets/4.-storage-and-handling/4.1-storage- methods-and-handling-practices