I hooked into our University's Elderhostel program roughly eight years ago;
and I teach two sessions...the first is an explanation of Special Collections
and Archives, with a behind-the-scenes tour.  Since archives (and museum
collections) are in closed stacks, most people simply do not know all the work
that goes on in storage, preservation, handling, describing, inventorying,
cleaning, sorting, etc.....
 
The second session that I teach is on paper preservation where I discuss the
hazards that face libraries and researchers in preserving materials...I tend
to focus on paper, acidity, storage conditions, chemical treatments, and so
on...and do cross over into some other items like photographs, and occasionally
objects...many folks ask about leather materials.
--Dean DeBolt, University Librarian, Special Collections, Univ. of West Florida