Preservation of Paper Materials During Digitization Best Practices

Important Aspects to Remember Concerning Digitization Sympathetic process Access to original will be required again Damage can be caused by equipment, high volume handling, and time pressures It’s better to be careful than quick! For a collection where preservation of the documents is of paramount importance, original material should be preserved as far as possible.

Proper Handling of Archival Documents Work Area and Processing: – Tools and materials in work area: Only have pencils in the work area. No markers, pens, glue, white-out ink, or any other material that could permanently stain your materials. – Keep a clean working space, ideally one that is dedicated to scanning collections. It should also be large enough to fit documents and have extra space to move collections around. This will prevent damage happening to the collection materials. – No food or drink in the work area. – Be aware of the scanner temperature. If it becomes excessively hot, take a break to give the machine a chance to cool down. – Follow a tracking procedure to make sure documents are accounted for.

Document Handling: – Work with only one box/folder at a time – When moving collection around, keep in folders and boxes (as well as not being used). Use a cart to move them so as not to risk dropping. Ask for help moving something if you need it. – Keep documents at least 3 inches from edge of work table. Don’t press down on docs, place elbows on them, or take notes on separate sheets that are resting on docs. – Clean hands, no cotton gloves – No sticky notes, like Post-its, on records or their containers. – Don’t slide the documents around on top of each other. Pick each one up fully. – Support fragile documents with stiff archival board. This will also assist with flipping them over for a flatbed scanner. Ensure that the document is entirely supported, also while scanning. Do not set the document on your lap, on the chair, or on the floor. – If you are scanning loose materials, stack them in separate piles to keep track of work already scanned and making sure they remain in correct sequence. – Exercise caution when using a lid and flatbed scanner. – Use weights if necessary.

Preparing Documents for Scanning Preparation consists of dealing with any aspects of document format and condition that will interfere with scanning and long-term preservation. Damage to Documents & Potential Risks Tears, rolled items, and flattening Fastenings Bindings and Issues Previous repairs and brittle documents Mold

Tears, Rolled Documents, & Flattening Tears : Small tears, less than 5 cm in length, that do not affect text could be repaired (Filmoplast) or simply lined up correctly during scanning and not repaired, as long as care is taken to not make the tear worse. NO SCOTCH TAPE Image from Demco.com

Small tear (near “Editor”) that doesn’t affect text much. Can be scanned without repair as long as scanner technician is careful.

Large tears and missing pieces that affect image. Great care would need to be taken if scanned without repair. This item would need to be repaired by a conservator, no Filmoplast.

Rolled Documents, Curled or Folded Edges As long as the paper is in good condition (not brittle), the edges can be flattened by hand at the time of scanning (and held down with light weights if necessary). Flattening Rolled and Folded Items: If there is a large quantity, it would be best to unpack and unfold them all prior to scanning (again, as long as paper is in good condition). The documents will have a chance to relax and will be more likely to stay flat when handled for scanning. This applies to paper and parchment. Weights may also be used.

Archives of Ontario

Documents that have been folded or rolled for most of their life may be very resistant to being opened and flattened, especially if brittle. There is a higher risk of causing damage, especially if paper is weak along creases. Your supervisor should be consulted if you encounter any resistance. Go slow and listen for sounds of cracking. If unrolling, watch for mountain peaks forming which will mean it’s cracking.

Fastenings Metal fasteners, plastic clips, adhesive tape, adhesive. Problems Cause damage to documents as they age (rusty staples, adhesive staining). Documents clipped or pinned together will not lie flat. Information (text) can be obscured depending on how it is fastened. Number and significance of words affected should be considered. A damaged document that is fastened to other documents must be handled with care. Metal fastenings can scratch parts of the scanning equipment. Although they pose problems, it shouldn’t be automatically assumed to remove the fastenings. Costs and risks may outweigh benefits. By handling these documents appropriately, you may be able to achieve good scans still.

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Impact of Removal Fastenings are in place for good reasons: they keep associated documents together and keep them in sequence. By removing them, you risk losing papers, original sequence, original arrangement, and context/meaning as a result. Fastened documents may be easier to handle than loose sheets, especially if the sheets are different sizes. Handling during scanning might be easier if fasteners are left in. Long-term preservation may be affected if removal of fasteners means covers are gone and documents are no longer well-protected. Fastenings may also be part of the original document and removal should be avoided if it will adversely affect the authenticity of the item. Scanning may be difficult with the fastenings in place. The process should not introduce fresh creases into the document. – Weights: Weights should be clean and not mark the document (no painted coating). Snake weights, small metal or glass weights – Masking off: To prevent attached documents to be seen in the background of a scan, place a blank white sheet of paper behind the document being scanned.

Removal If the situation seems to warrant the removal of fastenings, it is important to consider how easy it is to do so. Paper clips and possibly staples can be removed by regular staff. If the fastening can only be removed using hand tools or if the removal poses a significant risk to the document, it may be preferable to leave it. Also consider if the item will be refastened. Removal must be done by hand and with care not to tear the documents. It’s a slow process. I recommend only removing the easy-to-remove fastenings from documents in good condition. This can be done at the time of scanning. Folder or paper wrappers, numbering in pencil.

Bindings and Housing Issues Bindings can also cause preservation issues during scanning. It may restrict a document so that it will not open easily (if binding is tight). The item will not lie flat, which is a common problem. There may be obscured text in the gutter or cracking brittle pages. Considering disbinding: – Removal will take a great deal of time and care but will also impact long-term preservation. – Can be very destructive and cannot usually be replaced the same way a new fastening can. – If the collection is historical, disbinding may not be acceptable because the bindings themselves are an integral part of the documents or have historical significance themselves.

Documents that are disbound would also need to be rehoused in some way after scanning. But they will now be more difficult to consult and stand a greater risk of damage from handling. Binding keeps loose pages secure and in order. Two exceptions to consider would be a post binding or if the existing binding is already severely damaged and no longer functioning as it should. Windy Weather Bindery

Housing Issues Item may be sewn into or otherwise attached to housing that is hard to open or has become damaged. It may not fit on the scanner (too large or bulky). Verso of the document cannot be imaged easily. Too complicated or tricky to open or remove. Encapsulated in polyester sleeves, which can cause reflections. Similar to bindings, it may need to be rehoused after scanning if it’s decided to dismantle the current housing. Rehousing can improve long-term access and preservation if the existing housing is restrictive or damaging. But there is the risk of losing original format/associations/materials. A digitization project is a good time to rehouse a collection because it will involve handling each item at least once.

Previous Repairs and Brittle Documents A previous repair could cause preservation issues that may impact scanning. A repair could fail due to heavy use or it could deteriorate due to use of inappropriate repair materials. It may have been placed over text or it could have been executed poorly, causing cockling and distortion. This could lead to stresses in the document and create fresh tears when handled. The materials and adhesive could deteriorate over time and leave severe discoloration. Very little will be able to be done by scanning technicians, only trained conservators should handle this. It’s best to just handle carefully and scan as best you can without causing further damage.

Brittle Documents A document that is brittle can be very fragile to scan. Any small damage (such as a tear) could easily worsen and there is little you can do without a conservator. If you’ve identified a document that is brittle, it may require extreme caution when handling. It will break very easily or crumble and it often darkens in color to a deep brown. The darker it is, the more acidic the paper. There is little you can do once it’s already brittle.

Mold If you suspect that a document has mold, this needs to be treated prior to handling for scanning. A supervisor should be notified immediately. Caution should be taken to wash hands and surfaces the document touched. Keep it isolated from other materials until a specialist or someone trained can take a look at it. If spots seem fuzzy or powdery, it may be active. Be careful not to breathe it in. Healthy Schools Campaign

Physical Damage from Handling During Scanning Time pressure and every part of the page must be exposed to scanning device (tears could lengthen and documents could become fragmented) Document could be injured if not fully supported and if the edges hang over the scanner’s support. It could be held under the glass plate or lid, which can stress bindings or fastenings. This may result in cracking, especially for photographic materials. Travel through scanner: It may come into contact with rollers or guards, which can leave marks or indentations. While the risk of light damage is low, it’s still good to minimize exposure. – Don’t leave documents under lights while scanner is set up and calibrated. – Keep items covered while moving them around. – Filter UV light out (most harmful). Exposure to heat from the machine, especially the glass plate, could be harmful.

Format Damage from Scanning Disassociation: the risk that documents may become mixed up during the imaging process. – It can be repacked into the wrong boxes or the sequence of documents is disturbed. – The worst case is documents could be lost. This is a danger when removing fastenings or bindings. Do not set unrealistic goals for speed of image capture. It increases the risk to the documents.

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