Care and Feeding of… Paper
Was going to do books and documents then I realized how long the documents document was and decided I didn’t want to write a book about books. I’ll do that some other time.
I’m blatantly stealing from resources available on the website of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and augmenting them with my own experience. Please keep in mind I live and work in an arid climate and have nominal hands on in a humid environment. Also, these are guidelines. Please consult with a trained conservator for items that need serious help.
The AIC has brochures on caring for a variety of treasures.
A few things to keep in mind as you are looking at where and how to store and display your treasures:
- If it was once living it needs to breathe. If you don’t want to be there, neither does it.
- Light is hard on documents and books. It fades the ink and degrades the paper and other binding materials.
- In a perfect world things are stored at 72 degrees and 50% relative humidity. In real life try to avoid radical changes in temperatures and humidity.
- Plastics that you can smell are off gassing, this is damaging to documents. Many places sell plastic page protectors that they say are acid free, and they are correct; but it’s not acids you are worrying about with plastic, it’s all the other chemicals involved in the process.
Documents
Tape bad
Clean hands good
Light bad
Support good
Don’t use pressure sensitive tape on documents. This includes Scotch, masking, duct, and binding tapes used to repair circulating books in some libraries.
Wash your hands often when working with paper items. I use Ivory soap. Whatever you use make sure it isn’t perfumy or lotiony. You don’t want any kind of residue on your hands. You can use lotion after you’re done playing with old things.
Light is hard on documents. It fades inks and paints and degrades paper. Items that are heritage, or you would like to keep for more than a few years, should be displayed out of direct sunlight and harsh artificial light. Use UV shielding curtains, window film and frame glass to help protect displayed items.
Items that are being stored should be supported in storage. If you only have a few items they can be gently stacked on each other. With more items use an appropriate box.
Items in storage should be stored individually. This can be in their own window mat board, folder, envelope, or polyester enclosure.
If items are going to be handled frequently they need to be stored in a manner where they can be viewed without being touched. Polyester encapsulation or high quality page protectors are good for this.
Resources
Here are some resources. Even though these items sell to professionals and carry high quality items some weird things still slip through, so think and ask questions before buying anything with too grandiose a guarantee.
AIC Brochures http://aic.stanford.edu/library/online/brochures/index.html
Supplies
Hollinger http://www.hollingercorp.com/
University Products http://www.archivalsuppliers.com/
Gaylord Brothers http://www.gaylordmart.com/listing.asp?H=3
Metal Edge http://www.metaledgeinc.com/
Light Impressions http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/
Archival Methods http://www.archivalmethods.com/
Talas http://www.talas-nyc.com/
Conservation Resources http://www.conservationresources.com/
Inner Armor http://www.innerarmorind.com/Mainframe.htm
Paige Company http://www.paigecompany.com/
And no matter what the chicky at Kinko’s says, DO NOT LAMINATE anything you care about and want to last. Lamination is for bookmarks and posters in the kid’s rooms.
105 comments September 17th, 2008