In-House Preservation

Overview

This section specifies the boxes and folders commonly used, and examples of specific formats and actions that may need extra preservation attention. These are the actions carried out daily by those processing physical collections. For more information on digital formats see the section on Digital Preservation and for materials that do not fit into the following boxes and folders see Custom Preservation and Conservation.

Best Practices

Storage

When not actively working on materials they should be stored on shelves or on pallets when space is limited. Don’t leave boxes directly on the floor, in case of leaks, flooding, and pests. Boxes should not be stacked more than four boxes high.

 Large and/or heavy items (e.g, record cartons or oversize flat boxes) should not be placed above shoulder-level. 

Handling and Lifting

Record cartons used in the Archives generally weigh up to 40 pounds.

• Know your safe handling limits:

  • If a box is heavy, ask a second person to help you lift it, or unload contents into 2 boxes.

  • Never lift materials weighing more than 50 pounds by yourself.

  • Only move 4 to 6 boxes on a rolling cart at a time.

• Lift with your knees rather than your back.

• Do not twist while lifting.

• When lifting and carrying an object hold it close to your body not higher than chest level.

• Push rather than pull when moving heavy objects.

Standard Tools and Supplies

Rehousing Materials

Foldering

• Folder size must match box size. Any subfolders or L-sleeves used must be the same size as the folder.
• Retain all original folders when possible.
• If the original folder has noticeable physical weakness replace with new folder.
  • If there is information on the original folder keep it and put it in a new folder.
• Materials stored in hanging files (i.e., Pendaflex) should be refoldered. Retain original title, and place the label in the folder.

The default orientation for folders within record cartons is letter size orientation. If there are materials that are larger than letter width and fit into legal size folders, the entire box can be shifted to legal orientation. All folders in a box must be the same size. If there are only a few legal size records, individual folders may be added to a legal size manuscript box.  You will want to note what box they originally were removed from so that they can be intellectually integrated in the resource record.

Bound Materials (books, albums, volumes)

When you encounter books or bound volumes in an archival or manuscript collection they may be foldered. Bound materials should always be stored spine down – text blocks may detach from the binding when stored spine up.

Scrapbooks, albums, and heavy or oversize volumes should be stored flat. 

Slide and Split Ring Binders and Other Adjustable Bindings

Metal Fasteners

We do not routinely remove metal fasteners from material, but we may elect to remove them if the fasteners are causing significant damage to the material or to their folders or other housing.

Remove paper clips by bending the smaller loop upwards. Support the back side of the clip while you work. Never slide a paperclip off.

Always remove staples with a microspatula.

• Use your opposite hand to support the paper around the staple as you work.

• Work on the back side of the paper.

• Use the blunt end of the spatula – only use the pointed end to get a difficult staples started. A heavy duty microspatula is also available for heavy staples.

• Bend up one prong of staple at a time.

• Support the paper around and over the opposite prong when bending the first prong up

• Gently remove the staple from the front side of the paper

For instructions on disposing of sharps, see Disposal decision guide.

Interleaving - use subfolders from conservation

• Newspaper clippings

If processing to a level 3 or 4 archivists may want to interleave newspaper clippings with paper (printer paper is fine), unfolding clippings if they are folded. Depending on the collection it may also be appropriate to move oversize clippings into legal or oversize folders.

• Photographs (prints, negatives, slides)

In general we do not need to rehouse prints, negatives, and slides if they are in original housings such as separate boxes, or envelopes from the developer. We may want to add some preservation measures when they are in a folder with other material that they should be separated from - for example a single negative or print within a folder of newspaper clippings. If processing to a level 2 or 3 and a single photograph is found in a folder, one can create an envelope for the photograph using printer paper that would provide some protection. One could also interleave photographs with paper. If there is one or a few loose slides, they should be put into a slide sheet and kept in their original location.

If processing to a level 3 or 4 it may be appropriate to put prints, negatives, and slides into specifically created sleeves and separate them from the rest of the collection.

• Telegrams

• Anything super fragile or acidic

Transparencies

If transparencies are sticky, moldy, or smelly they should be discarded. Otherwise they can be foldered similar to any other pieces of paper in a collection. Transparencies are heavier than paper and because of this if there are a lot of transparencies they should be housed in manuscript boxes rather than record cartons.

Physical legacy media (substrates that hold digital media)

Note these in the description (at file and/or collection level)

Textiles

Textiles should be placed in flat boxes only with other textiles.

Options include:

• Flattening or unfolding minimally (maybe folded in half)
• If object warrants more attention than flattening and fitting in a flat box conservation can put tissue paper in the material
• For large textiles consult conservation
• Use textile boxes that are housed at onsite storage

Frames

If easy yes de-frame, if medium use your archival judgment, if difficult it is probably not necessary to de-frame. Final decision is up to the archivist. When considering mat size take into consideration if item can be removed from matting easily.

• Easy to remove = Can do yourself using no to minimal tools. Some frames use hardware that is easy to remove by pushing up or down. It is reusable and de-framing should be easy and cause no damage to the frame, hardware, or the item. The frame can be reused by staff or offered to a free pile in basement, or reuse event in Stata. Most items that are framed in this type of frame should be removed from the frame, foldered, and added to a Paige, manuscript, or flat box.
• Medium difficulty = Frame backing needs to be torn - often cut using scissors or box cutter. With this type of frame it is often difficult to impossible to use the frame again. In most cases we will still de-frame the material.
• Hard to remove = This is if the frame and item are very fragile and de-framing could harm the material, or if the frame is very intricate and it will be very time consuming to remove the frame. In this case the object can be placed in a box and depending on thickness with or without a folder.

Tools for de-framing: You may need scissors, gloves, pliers, and a sharps container. Glass should be separated into a box and when there is a box full contact EHS to remove. See the Disposal Guide for more. 

Photocopying Material

We do not routinely photocopy original material. In most instances you will either keep the original material or discard it after copying the needed information. Exceptions to this is when there is information on original housing that you want to preserve but the actual housing can be discarded - for example if there is an oversize envelope with a note written on it and you aren’t sure what it means, you could photocopy the note and insert the photocopy in the folder with the material originally housed in the envelope.

Cleanliness of workstations

Keeping workstations clean increases

Recording Preservation Actions

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements 

Processing Information;