How to deal with the diploma depends a little bit on whether it's parchment
or paper. Since parchment doesn't roll that well, can we assume the diploma
is paper?
How old is it? That will determine the quality of the paper and what
problems you can expect. It sounds like it's from the "evil paper era,"
after about 1875. That's when highly acidic wood pulp paper became very
commonly used.
A couple of things to consider: Is the paper flaking or crumbling? Not just
rough around the edges but literally flaking off seemingly at will? If this
is the case, the paper is already far along in its decomposition cycle and
needs to be stabilized. If the paper is also yellowish in color, it's a sure
sign of acidic breakdown. You can deacidify it with Wei-T'o or BookKeeper
Solution. That will stop the acid reaction with the paper's sizing. It will
not reverse the brittleness, however. You would then want to stabilize the
paper itself by encapsulation in Mylar-D, or its successor. Please note that
if you encapsulate it, you will want to do so along with a similar-sized
piece of acid free permabond. This allows the acid from the document to
leach into the paper over time, and not to continuously react with itself,
accelerating its final demise.

Before you encapsulate you need to flatted the document. Here again, the
material and the condition are important to consider. Parchment doesn't
flatten well on its own. You will likely need to humidify the document and
then flatten. Humidification is rather simple. The National Archives was
using a supermarket baker's rack covered in plastic sheeting back when I
visited their conservation lab in 1995. We used a clothes drying rack
covered in plastic sheeting on the NJ State Archives Project I worked on
that same year. Monmouth County Archives uses a plastic garbage can with a
dishwashing rack on the bottom. The common component to all is a pan of hot
water underneath a rack holding the document with the entire unit enclosed
within plastic sheeting. Think Tupperware and a large coffee maker.
If you use the can method, place the hot water in first, then the rack, then
the document, put the lid on it and go do something else for about 30 to 45
minutes. When time is up, check the document, it should feel moist and
pliant. It should feel drenched or soaked. If it's still a little stiff, you
can leave it in for another 15 minutes or so. When it's damp enough, take it
out and place it on a blotter on a smooth, hard surface. Smooth out any
creases, folds or tears with a bone folder, then place another blotter over
it. The blotter will absorb the moisture and draw it away from the document.
When we do this we place panes of glass (in our case glass display shelves)
on the document and then apply evenly distributed weights. Can be archival
weights, fabric covered bricks or the biggest, heaviest books you have. Then
leave it to flatten over time.
A humidified document will flatten better than an unhumidified document.
Parchment usually needs humidification.
Paper doesn't have to be, you can just flatten it under the glass and
weights for a day or more. But if there are complex folds, humidify for best
results and watch how long it's in the chamber. Paper doesn't take as long
as parchment and too moist could lead to bigger problems. Use caution if the
document is brittle or seriously torn.

It sounds like your document was rolled and is in pretty good shape except
for the wrinkles. It should not be too difficult to take care of. If it's
paper you should be able to flatten under weights as I described. You may
want to give it a weekend or so. But if the folds are complex, meaning that
they obscure text or are a series of folds that make up a crease, then
you'll want to humidify it first. Be very careful when you do. Once it's
flat, then you can encapsulate.

Some other pieces of advice: if it doesn't need to be encapsulated, don't.
But make sure that whoever frames it uses acid free backing boards. If there
are major tears, etc., then encapsulate. Use document repair tape sparingly
if you have to use it at all. And then only on the back where it will not
obscure any writing. If you encapsulate properly, you shouldn't need to use
tape.

Regards,

Scott D. Peters
Research Director/Archivist
Ocean County Historical Society
26 Hadley Ave., P.O. Box 2191
Toms River, NJ 08754-2191
(732) 341-1880
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"Telling the Stories of Ocean County"

Historically Speaking
ALHFAM -FPIPN vice-chair for trivia, errata and miscellany
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Cecelia Ottenweller" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2002 11:29 AM
Subject: Old Diploma


> Hi folks,
>
> This question is for the archivists in the bunch - my dear father sent
> me, for Christmas, my great-grandfather's medical diploma. It's been
> rolled up for years and has a lot of wrinkles in it so it's not in
> pristine condition. But I would very much like to preserve it and frame
> it to hang. Does anyone have any suggestions? Please feel free to
> contact me off list.
>
> Muchas,
>
> Cecelia
>
> --
> Cecelia Ottenweller
> Program Coordinator
> The Jung Center
> 5200 Montrose Blvd.
> Houston, TX 77006
> 713-524-8253, ext. 16
> [log in to unmask]
> "I'm not a model...A model's an imitation of the real thing." - Mae West
>
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