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The Colorado Agricultural Archive
Building Your
Personal
ArchiveProfessional Development
InstituteJanuary 7, 2011
Linda Meyer, archivistColorado State University
LibrariesArchives 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; 20th 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, email me at [email protected]
CSU Libraries booklet online
The Colorado Agricultural Archive
The Colorado Agricultural Archive
Building Your
Personal
ArchiveProfessional Development
InstituteJanuary 7, 2011
Linda Meyer, archivistColorado State University
LibrariesArchives and Special Collections