Don’t panic! Dealing with wet records Elizabeth Hadlow Senior Conservator Records Manager’s Forum 24 July 2007

Introduction Resources Equipment Training Planning for Salvage Handling wet records

Resources - planning State Records Website –Standard on Disaster Management of Records r/rk/disaster/diplancom.htm National Archives Website –Disaster Preparedness Manual ervation/disaster/intro.html

Resources – planning and salvage AMOL website –Be Prepared- Guidelines for Small Museums for writing a disaster preparedness plan nagement/be_prepared AMOL website –reCollections – Managing collections NAA website –Archives Advice html

Resources – advice State Records NSW –Senior Conservator –Senior Archivist Transfer and Custody –Salvage of archives State Library of NSW –Conservation section –Salvage of books National Archives of Australia –Conservation section –Salvage of archives Large Museums and Art Galleries –Conservation section –Specialist advice on specific materials, e.g. metals, organic objects, textiles

When is it a disaster? Size doesn’t matter What is your ability to deal with it?

Equipment – disaster bin Contents: Buckets Mops Plastic sheet Blotting paper Dust masks Washing line and pegs etc

Equipment – Disaster store Larger stores of materials

Resources – Training De Dramatising Disasters – training calendar –20-21 September 2007 –State Library of NSW –2 days 9.30am-4.30pm –$520 –Limited spaces

What are we trying to prevent? Mould growth Ink bleeding Coated papers sticking Books swelling Bindings failing Photographs blocking Emulsions detaching

What should I do with wet records? How wet are my records? –Sodden –Damp –Mix Air Drying –Laying out flat –Pegging up –Air circulation –Keeping humidity down Freezing –What can I freeze? –When do I freeze?

Preparing for salvage Separate different materials where you can Know your collection Know the correct salvage response for different materials

Handling wet records

Summary Training is very important Pre-planning avoids delays and mistakes Players must understand your requirements Get to know what resources you can call on