Tours for groups of six or more during the week can be arranged Hello my name is Kevin Smith, Archivist at the Bromfield Depot Museum. We are open… Please remember to grab gloves and pencils on your way in, make sure you have folder Broomfield Depot Museum 2201 W 10th Ave Open Saturdays 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tours for groups of six or more during the week can be arranged call (303) 460-6824 or email Jainlay-conley@broomfield.org

Preserving Papers and Photographs March 11, 2017 Mamie Doud Eisenhower Library Kevin Smith Archivist, Broomfield Depot Museum

What Family Papers and Photographs Do You Have? [Group Activity – groups at each table (3 total) will share with each other all of the different types of things they have (Be specific!). Then, one person from each table will share a list of the different kinds of things the group has. Hand out large post its with markers. Will take the largest one at end, hang up. Go over different things we have.]

Goals for Today Identify preservation issues with different types of material Learn to handle and care for your family papers and photographs at home Start planning how you will organize, store, and preserve your papers and photographs for the long term Load one point at a time Really think about what kind of potential deterioration problems our papers and photos might have so we can better address them for long term preservation Find ways that you can care for things in the best way possible, with what you have at your disposal. You may not be a museum or archive, but there’s still a lot you can do. Going over different types of material and supplies you can use to care for your papers and photos. Importance of differentiating what’s good to use and what’s not.

Common Types of Damage

The Ten Agents of Deterioration Physical Force Theft/Vandalism Neglect Fire Water Pests Chemical Deterioration Light Temperature Humidity Load in List. Briefly show and list off – don’t linger here for long. Maybe sentence long explanation of each AT MOST

Common Types of Damage Papers Tears, folds, rolling (Physical) Mold, foxing, warping, cockling (Water, High Humidity) Brittle, crumbling (Low Humidity) Yellowing, fading (Chemical, Light) Dirt, bugs, portions eaten (Neglect, Pests) Read through each, load one at a time. Associate with agent.

Pest damage, tears, and possible acid damage and foxing Image obtained from Smithsonian’s Postal Museum Blog, http://postalmuseumblog.si.edu/2015/04/the-10-agents-of-deterioration.html Pest damage, tears, and possible acid damage and foxing

Common Types of Damage Photograph Prints Tears, folds, rolling (Physical) Mold, foxing, warping, cockling (Water, High Humidity) Brittle, crumbling (Low Humidity) Yellowing, Fading (Chemical, Light) Silver Mirroring and Ferrotyping (High Humidity, Temperature, Chemical) Flaking/Cracking Image Surface (Low Humidity) Read through, one at a time (each point will load separately. First 4 load at once, same as papers). Explain ten agent association.

Image obtained from graphicsatlas.org Cracking Emulsion

Silver Mirroring Ferrotyping Images obtained from Graphicsatlas.org

Common Types of Damage Scrapbooks Missing binding, torn pages (Physical) Items falling out or loose (Physical, Neglect) Old glue (Chemical) Yellowing or fading items (Chemical) Load each point, but go over quickly, relating to agents.

Handling

Handling First Step: Stop and Look Check for any damage and weak points Brittle Paper Folded Corners Loose Binding/Cover Cracking Surface Wet Rolled or Flat Check for safety hazards Staples and Pins Heavy Weight Broken Glass Mold Noxious Fumes Load each portion individual portion

Handling Second Step: Take Precautions Use Gloves (especially for photos) Only use #2 Pencils Work over flat, clean, smooth, and steady surface No Food, Drinks, or Other Mess Makers Don’t Work in Direct Sunlight Load each point. Explain each one Point out gloves from “freebie bag”, pencils

Handling Step 3: Handle with Care Handle items with both hands Handle papers and photos by edges Avoid handling by corners, fasteners, or binding Make sure heavier items are supported from the bottom, not hanging Try to Keep Large Items Flat If binding is frayed, try to cradle Handle items over a surface, sitting down. Try not to handle too much while standing Load each point individually Demonstrate how to handle, near front of class so everyone can see: Handle paper sheet with fold, demonstrate for first three points Handle scrapbook next three points Last point applies to all

Handling Step 3 Cont. Use Gloves with Photos Pull Sleeves, not Photos or Papers Inside Check Rolled Photos Before Unfurling Load points individually Put on gloves handle a photo Demonstrate moving photo in/out of a sleeve Show rolled photo as example. This one is okay, but think back to cracking emulsion

Handling Step 4: Moving Have a Destination First Use Both Hands, Keep Supported Keep Item(s) Flat Get Help With Moving and Supporting Load each point individually

Storage We’ve established how to handle items safely while we sift through them, now how do we store them? What kind of material can we use, and what works best for certain kinds of material?

Building Room Material Folder Storage Building Room Material Folder Different levels of envelopes – each provide support, padding, and barrier for your papers and photos. Breakdown list – house, room in house, box you store things in, folder or envelope you store things in, etc.

Storage Choose the right room Issues with Basements and Attics 68° F to 75° F (do not exceed), below 60% RH Be wary of pipes, vents, windows, cleaners/chemicals Don’t leave on floor! Shelving, Cabinets, and Tables Load each point individually Basements more wet. Attics more dry. Both can have fluctuating temperatures and humidity. Ideal range, stay clear of 75 or higher Examples: water pipes, heating vent, hot water heater, direct sunlight Water can damage things on floor, can get dirty. Make sure room has table, shelf, etc. to use. Wood can off gas, metal can rust. Might consider plastic shelving or table. Can place items on mylar sheets. Cabinets should not be airtight – might consider avoiding.

Storage Material Yes Acid Free Folders/Boxes No General Office Folders Versus buffered Lignin Free Folders/Boxes Photographic Activity Test (PAT) Mylar, Polypropylene, Polyethylene for Plastics Number 4 and 5 Recyclable No General Office Folders Cardboard Boxes Wooden or Metal Boxes PVCs, Polyurethane for Plastics Adhesives Explain difference between acid free and buffered – might avoid with certain color photos, or other types. Also anything with protein – leather example Explain break down of lignen in paper Color – can run No adhesives – stickies, sticky pages, etc. PVCs – sometimes hard to tell. Rainbow sheen a giveaway. Explain PAT, Image Permanence Institute After explaining everything breifly, jump to items in “freebie bag”. Show items not to use, too.

Exercise – Ph Pens On each table there are special ph pens, which can be used to tell if something is acidic. If the mark is yellow, then what you are marking is acidic. If it is pink, then it is not. In your table’s group, go ahead and mark the boxes, folders, and sleeve pages in front of you to see what would work best as material for your storage needs.

Storage Material Papers Scrapbook Use folders, usually store vertically Do not over or under stuff Consider envelopes/sleeves for smaller items in a folder Do not fold or roll papers Scrapbook Always keep flat Consider interleaving for newspaper pages Check for loose material Keep in original order Load each section individually Show lines on folder for folding, stress importance of support. Envelopes also good for newspaper clippings. Books – binding, cover condition indicator. Shelf – make sure its supported. Flat storage in box or book jacket, supported. Scrapbooks – tips for making or keeping together Use adhesive corners, not adhesive on actual items. Photocopy or photograph if absolutely have to dismantle a scrapbook.

Storage Photo Prints Do not use adhesive pages Plastic sleeves, envelopes, folders. Make sure its supported Sleeves, unless: Photo is flaking, missing surface Envelopes, beware of seams Avoid buffered material, stick with acid free Separate negatives Load each section individually Allude to example of bad sleeves to use Advantages of sleeves – can see, handle without incident, gives good support. Folders provide good storage in a box. Allude to goody bag Explain static with flaking emulsion Explain buffering – avoid with blueprints/cyanotypes, albumen prints, color prints

Organization and Arrangement So now that we have dealt with the what to store our photos and papers in, we’re going to conclude briefly with how to organize and arrange our papers and photos.

Organization and Arrangement Why It’s Important Helps for future reference, and getting the most out of your collection Avoids unnecessary handling and sifting, helps to preserve papers Preserves information – correlations, sources, ownership, etc. It may not seem important, but organizing your these things can help tremendously.

Questions to Ask Were these documents or photographs already organized? Do these items seem to belong together? Are there common formats? Are there common subjects? Is there a chronological order? If organization is lacking, how would I file this? Load points individually Give examples: Grandpa’s trunk of World War II memorabilia; photos in same envelope Box with mother’s and father’s side of family – may logically separate Formats – letters, photos, books, etc. Dates – group of letters, photos, etc.

Labeling Use #2 Pencil Clearly Label All File Folders and Boxes with Content Description, Dates For Photos Only write on back, never on image Write on hard, smooth surface Don’t write too hard Include information on names, dates, locations, etc. Keep information on original enclosures Make photocopies Keep negatives Load each point

Exercise – Look at Organized Collections

Questions?