The Colorado Agricultural Archive Building Your Personal Archive Professional Development Institute January 7, 2011 Linda Meyer, archivist Colorado State University Libraries Archives and Special Collections

Exercise: This is your life… Question: What materials document your activities? Selection: What should you keep?

Materials to preserve: --Legal documents --Financial papers --Biographical records --Memorabilia

Now that you have decided what to keep, how will you preserve it? --Environment --Containers --Separation --Stabilization

Environment: Keep it stable --Location: No attics/basements --Temperature: 65 to 70 degrees --Humidity: 35 to 50% --Light: Less is better --Pests: Keep it clean

The Colorado Agricultural Archive How do we get from this… … to this? Organizing your records

Containers: Non-acidic/non-toxic --Boxes: Paper or plastic? --Folders --Oversize enclosures --Frames --Scrapbooks

Separation: Protecting the papers --Photographs/negatives

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Some photographs are chemically unstable and acidic, and cause stains on nearby documents over time.

The Colorado Agricultural Archive This photograph reacted with the acidic paper next to it, creating a negative image of the photo on the document.

Separation: Protecting the papers --Photographs/negatives --Acidic papers and dyes

The Colorado Agricultural Archive This acidic news clipping discolored the document that accompanied it.

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Our modern printer or copy paper is usually acid- free or neutral; 20 th century papers tend to be more acidic.

Separation: Bright colors/dyes This was the first page in a group of documents enclosed by a binder with a bright red cover. When the binder got wet, the color transferred to some of the documents.

Separation: Protecting the papers --Photographs/negatives --Acidic papers and dyes --Glue, tape, rubber bands

The Colorado Agricultural Archive

Separation: Protecting the papers --Photographs/negatives --Acidic papers and dyes --Glue, tape, rubber bands --Metal and other fasteners

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Staples, paper clips, and other metal fasteners sometimes rust, staining the document

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Removing staples without damage to the document

Separation: Protecting the papers --Photographs/negatives --Acidic papers and dyes --Glue, tape, rubber bands --Metal and other fasteners --Organic material

Stabilization: Support and protection --Use a folder for a holder --Encapsulate, don’t laminate --Interleaving prevents grieving --Carefully unfold stuff that’s old --Tubes and trays are better ways

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Unfold letters and other documents for storage. Folding weakens the paper fibers along the crease, accelerating the deterioration of the document.

Labeling: Keeping the context --Soft pencil on folder tabs --Photo marking pencil --Avoid adhesive labels --No self-stick notes

The Colorado Agricultural Archive

Preservation vs. Sharing/Display --Duplicate copies --Digitization --Enclosures --Scrapbooks

Digital vs. Hard copy Digital advantages: --Compact storage --Easy to reproduce and share Digital concerns: --Machine dependent --Need to migrate --Remember LOCKSS

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Preserving audio-visual materials --Audiotapes --Videotapes --Motion picture film --CDs and DVDs Digitization is good for access, but keep the originals…and machines that can play them.

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Digitization provides a great way to share photographs from Colorado State with people all over the world. The images in this online collection were digitized from historic prints and glass plate negatives. This allows us to look at them without damaging the fragile originals, which are now archived in a carefully controlled environment, in stable, protective enclosures.

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Preserving objects --Protect from dust and light --Include information about history and significance

The Colorado Agricultural Archive Resources and further information (See handout) for electronic copy, me at CSU Libraries booklet online

The Colorado Agricultural Archive

Building Your Personal Archive Professional Development Institute January 7, 2011 Linda Meyer, archivist Colorado State University Libraries Archives and Special Collections