There are several other issues that you need to consider in storage besides
what type of boxes you want to house the negatives in. You also need to
separate the nitrate negatives, acetate base negatives and the newer saftey
negatives from each other. They all out gas at different rates and the
nitrate and acetate negatives will cause degredation of the saftey base
film. I would assume that the 30's negatives will have nitrates, you should
also store those in at least 32 degree storage area since they are
combustable.

Kim Walters, Library Director

On Wednesday, December 02, 1998 10:03 AM, Anne Lane
[SMTP:[log in to unmask]] wrote:
> Help!  We are being given a collection of thousands of old negatives
dating
> from the late nineteen-thirties to the nineteen-seventies.  They are all
> stored in decidedly non-archival paper envelopes inside old, moldy
> corrugated cardboard file boxes.  Until the information written on the
> envelopes is copied or otherwise transcribed, the negs cannot be
> transferred to new ones; however, we will be putting them into new boxes.
> My question is:  Buffered or unbuffered?  University Products and Gaylord
> both specify unbuffered boxes for negative storage; Hollinger says
> buffered.  Due to budgetary constraints, we would like to use these boxes
> for permanent storage of the collection once the negatives are
transferred
> to archival sleeves and envelopes, but that is probably far down the
road.
>
> Of course, I need your advice yesterday, since I found out today these
> things are probably going to be picked up next week.  Many thanks for any
> suggestions you can offer.
> Anne T. Lane
> Curatorial Assistant
> Museum of York County
> 4621 Mount Gallant Road
> Rock Hill, SC 29715
> 803-329-2121, ext 104
> [log in to unmask]
>