Dear Kathie,

You could put the deeds in polyester L-sleeves if you wanted.  I would
definitely do this if the deeds are brittle or fragile, especially at
the folds where they are most vulnerable.  

If the deeds are still strong and supple, then I don't see a need for
them to go into the polyester.  As long as the researchers are handling
your documents with clean, dry hands, and the paper is not brittle, you
are fine with just having the folders.

If, over time, you see that this collection gets a lot of use, then you
can move ahead and put all in polyester sleeves.  However, if this is a
low use collection, you don't need to put the money out up-front for the
polyester.

I hope this helps.

Donia

Donia Conn
Workshop Program and Reference Coordinator
Northeast Document Conservation Center
100 Brickstone Sq.
Andover, MA  01810
P:  978-470-1010 x220
F:  978-475-6021
[log in to unmask]
www.nedcc.org

------------------------

Date:    Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:24:38 -0400
From:    Kathie Gow <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: best way to store old deeds?

Hi listers! We have about 60 or more old deeds that are loose (they were
folded up in a bond box). They are mostly from the 18th and 19th
centuries,
and basically of legal size. I purchased acid-free legal-size file
folders
to hold them, but it has been suggested that putting them in plastic
sleeves/pages might be better as it would allow researchers to look at
them
without handling. Also, we are pretty frugal with our funds, so I'm
wondering if it makes sense to enclose more than one deed per folder, if
we
go the folder route, or if that's just pennywise and pound foolish?

 

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

Best,

--Kathie

 

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