In a message dated 00-04-14 20:01:18 EDT, Carrie Snow wrote:

<< What is the logic of storing items in acidic paper and adhesive tape?
Wouldn't that just compound the problem? >>

My first impulse was to say that, indeed, it is completely illogical to store
objects in non-archival enclosures.  The original question concerned ways of
safeguarding objects, not techniques for accelerating their deterioration.

However, I would be somewhat disingenuous if I made such a pronouncement.  I
admit that when I first entered the museum field, I was prone to using
sub-standard materials for storage.  This was in the bad old days when proper
conservation materials were less widely available.  Working with photographic
collections, I often would grab whatever was available in the way of acidic
papers, folders, and envelopes, glassine, acetate document "protectors". and
other questionable materials, primarily in an attempt to (a) keep the
collection items clean, and (b) protect them from physical or mechanical
damage, especially negatives and unmounted photographs which already had
sustained physical damage, and thereby stabilize them to some degree.  This
was due in part to an inadequate supply budget.  I knew I was using poor
materials which could eventually cause harm, but reasoned that a certain
degree of temporary physical protection was better than nothing, making a
mental note to "upgrade" to better enclosures later.  Of course, the flaw in
this reasoning is that sometimes such upgrades get lost in the shuffle and
never occur.  It's obviously better to have proper, conservator-approved
materials on hand in the first place--they save time and grief in the long
run.

But I would still use poor protective materials if circumstances dictated it.
 If I chanced upon an artifact that needed temporary physical protection, I
would use whatever materials I had on hand.  I just try not to get caught in
that bind.  But, working with larger archival collections than ever before,
I'm always running out of approved materials and make temporary substitutions
as needed--while being careful to make a processing note to revisit the
pockets of things that need an upgrade.  I make sure that such upgrades do
occur in a fairly systematic fashion.

I suspect the original advice about using acidic enclosures was partly a
response to the problem of dealing with objects which have "inherent vice,"
such as books printed on acidic paper which eventually WILL deteriorate
anyway unless you undertake heroic, expensive measures.  But if your
objective is to prolong the useful life of items with inherent vice, while
stopping short of costly conservation treatments, you should at least provide
the minimal care they require and go beyond measures which are suitable only
as temporary stopgaps.  Minimal preservation requires a supply of approved
materials, which nowadays are relatively inexpensive and plentiful.  I always
advise people with small personal collections, if they're serious about
preserving them, to shop where museums do.

David Haberstich

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