I was out of town for a few weeks and I'm just catching up on old e-mail.
But I still wanted to put my 2-cents in on the polyethylene bag discussion.
A couple of years ago I did a condition survey on an artifact collection
where over half of the the objects had been stored in polyethylene bags and
zip-lock bags for 10 years.  The problems I found were with deterioration of
the bags rather than the artifacts.  Some bags were still in perfect
condition, but many of them were greasy and dirty and some had disintegrated
into ragged pieces.  The worst bags were on minerals and old wood.  I was
trained many years ago that plastic was bad for artifacts, so I'll admit I
have a pounded-in distrust of plastic.  The bags may protect from dust and
water. Still this experience made me wonder what was happening, still
unseen, to the artifacts.

Jerrie


>=================
>
> >>Help!!!  I've got a quickie research project to do on the pros and cons
>of
> >>using polyethylene storage bags for collection objects.  I've searched
>all
> >>the usual suspects - AIC, CoOL, the Getty, Museum-L archives, you name
>it.
> >>There's nothing conclusive out there.  What I'd like to know is if you
>have
> >>any more arcane information dealing with permeability to humidity,
>gases,
> >>pollutants; any dangers from off-gassing or breakdown products; how
> >>important it is to use "archival" grade polyethylene, the whole nine
>yards.
> >> Or suggestions of more obscure sites that would have some information.
>Or
> >>personal experiences / recommendations.  If you could get me some info
>in
> >>the next couple of days, I would lick your boots.  Provided they were
> >>sealed in polyethylene.
> >>TIA,
> >>Anne
> >>Anne T. Lane, Collections Assistant
> >>Museum of York County
> >>4621 Mount Gallant Road,
> >>Rock Hill, SC 29732-9905
> >>803-329-2121, ext. 104
> >>FAX 803-329-5249
>

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:

The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).

If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).