Collections Care

We can make it easier to preserve archives by learning how to handle them and by making sure that we work with them in clean conditions. Take your time and use common sense when handling the items in your collections and this will ensure they are not damaged through mishandling.

Protect yourself by considering potentially hazardous material, such as mildew and use appropriate Personal Protective Equipment, such as face masks or gloves. Don’t take risks. Seek professional advice if you have any objects in your collection that could contain asbestos such as second world war gas masks.

Where possible, follow these basic guidelines:

Working spaces

• Food, drink and sweets should be kept away from archives: they make our hands sticky, we might spill liquids and the crumbs and detritus left behind encourages mould growth and could attract pests.
• Only pencils should be used for notes: any accidental pencil marks on the archives can be easily removed but ink marks are permanent.
• Don’t use post-its: the sticky strip leaves a sticky residue on the archives.
• Keep archive documents, tables, shelves and storage areas clean (see Housekeeping below): dust and dirt encourages mould and insect pests.

Handling archives

• Keep your hands clean by washing in warm soapy water and drying well. Where possible, do not use hand sanitiser as this remains on the hands and may be transferred to the archival items.
• Use nitrile gloves when handling photo negatives or transparencies because oils from fingers react with the photograph chemicals.
• It’s better not to use gloves when handling documents and other materials because they reduce your dexterity.
• Handle photo prints and drawings by the edges only.
• Be gentle with the documents. Don’t sweep them up into a bundle to move them.
• Don’t turn down the corners of pages in volumes.
• Don’t wet your fingers to turn a page (and stop researchers doing this!)
• Use weights to hold open rolled items and to hold folded documents in place. Don’t try to flatten folded documents with pressure because they might crack along the folds.
• Remove bound volumes stored upright one at a time. Don’t hook the top of the spine with fingers – always grasp the volume in the middle of the spine. Move the volumes on either side back a little to make it easier to get the volume out.
• Turn pages of volumes by the outside edge. This is especially important with large volumes – the pages can tear easily if you run your finger under the page near the spine.

For a useful video on how to handle books by the National Library of Scotland, click here. For more guidance on handling archival materials from The National Archives, click here.

Moving archives

• Don’t carry too many items at once. Think about the risks to the archives rather than how strong you may be.
• Carry volumes flat if possible; if held against your body, support the volume with both hands under the spine.
• Carry glass plate negatives one box at a time – use the trolley and pack the glass negative boxes into a larger box or crate (with padding) if you need to move more than one box.
• Make sure any stack of boxes is stable.
• Ask for help to move oversize, awkward or heavy items.
• Try not to slide boxes out from underneath other boxes as this can result in damage to the box or dropping the box and so risk damaging the contents.
• Put a box on a level surface before extracting an item from it; it’s tempting to hold the box and leaf through all the items but this could damage them.

Photocopying

It is better to use a digital camera, without a flash, than use a photocopier to make copies of archives. If you have to use a photocopier then:

• Never put archives through an automatic feed.
• Don’t press down hard on documents and especially not on volumes, as you could damage the binding.
• Be careful with the edges of documents as they can catch under the metal surrounds of the platen (flatbed) and tear.
• If you think an item has become too fragile to copy, then don’t copy it.
• Limit the number of photocopies of any single item because the strong light emitted will damage documents cumulatively.

One of the best things you can do for your records is to put them into acid-free boxes or wrap them in acid -free paper. Boxes help to keep records safe from damp, dirt, dust and external pollutants. They act as a barrier to insects and mice, and they even act as a barrier in the event of a fire or flood. Investing in good quality, archival standard boxes and folders costs more but they will save you the long-term expense of trying to restore damaged items.

• Any storage materials in direct contact with paper items need to be high quality and recognised as safe to use with archive material. If they are not, damaging substances can transfer onto your paper items and cause discoloration, staining and embrittlement.
• The boxes you buy should fit the documents you want to put into them: don’t re-fold documents to make them fit the boxes.
• Make sure that the box you use is not over-full. You can damage photographs and documents by piling too many on top of each other and squashing the lid down.
• Ordinary cardboard boxes are made of highly acidic materials. You can improve them by lining them with aluminium kitchen foil.
• Photographs should be stored in unbuffered boxes which are pH7 – in other words, neutral. These boxes tend to be a little more expensive than ordinary acid-free boxes.
• Bound volumes ideally should be individually boxed or wrapped, whether they are stored upright (like books in a library) or flat.
• Large bound volumes should stored flat: the weight of the contents will gradually pull at the spine if you store them upright.
• Don’t store too many un-boxed volumes on top of each other as this puts pressure on the spines and bindings.
• Photo albums should be stored upright in boxes because they can be damaged by the uneven distribution of photos inside the album. If the pages are smaller than the cover, you can support the pages with some folded tissue.
• Rolled maps, plans, scrolls and other rolled items should continue to be stored as rolled items. There are special long boxes you can get for these, but it is usually cheaper to wrap them in acid-free tissue or paper; or you can buy bags of the right lengths made from unbleached cotton or Tyvek. These kinds of bags are quite simple to make if you can find a supply of unbleached cotton.

Envelopes and enclosures

You can store archives loose in a box but ideally you will want to separate them from each other by using envelopes and other enclosures. There are a variety of materials you can use, depending on what you are storing.

• Individual documents: these are best stored in acid-free envelopes or acid-free folders. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive alternatives to these. Ordinary envelopes are all highly acidic and the glue is also harmful.
• Tied bundles of documents: this is a relatively inexpensive way of storing documents. Use unbleached cotton tying tape and tie bundles on the side, not the top as this minimises the risk of the knot damaging the documents when other bundles are placed on top. Add a label with the reference number using acid-free paper.
• Photographs – glass plate negatives are best stored in four-flap enclosures made from silversafe paper. Store them on edge in a box and if the box is not full, add supports to keep the glass plate negatives upright and secure. The main danger to glass plate negatives is breakage from careless handling.
• Photographs – plastic based negatives, prints and transparencies can be stored in polyester or polyproplylene enclosures. This material is clear and so you can see the photo without worrying about it being damaged by handling. However:
  • Make absolutely sure you do not buy pvc enclosures by mistake as this leaches out chemicals. If something is marketed as archival, ask what the material is before you trust it!
  • Don’t store flaking photos, drawings in charcoal or pastel and other friable materials in polyester or polypropylene: polyester can be static and pull off any loose surface material.
  • Do not laminate anything. Lamination bonds plastic to the original document permanently, thus damaging the original, and it can’t be reversed. Polyester and polyproplylene enclosures have one open side so that you can place items inside and take them out again.

We don’t endorse any suppliers of conservation materials and storage; however, you may find it helpful to look at these suppliers’ catalogues.

• Conservation By Design
• Conservation Resources
• Preservation Equipment Limited
• Secol

It is worth keeping an eye on archive mailing lists – sometimes bigger repositories will advertise free packing or storage materials that they no longer need/use.

The British Standard 4971:2017 provides specifications for shelving to use for archives and if you are buying shelving it is best to consult this. Aim for the best shelving you can afford and look for shelving that:

• Is made of a durable material.
• Is easily adjustable in small height increments.
• Is capable of holding heavy bound volumes and boxes of paper.
• Does not have sharp angles that could catch documents or boxes as you move them in and out of the shelving.
• Is of a width and length that supports the full size of stored documents or boxes so that they do not hang out, unsupported, over the edge of the shelves.
• Has a top cover to protect the documents from dust and debris.
• Enables good air circulation.
• Is not positioned against an outside wall as this is more vulnerable to damp and the outside temperatures.

You may want to invest in special equipment, like weights and supports for archives. These can be purchased from conservation suppliers or you could make your own. Weights can be made by putting stones or ball bearings into jam jars – just make sure the bottom of the jam jar is smooth and clean. Supports can be made from unbleached cotton, sewn into pillows and stuffed with polystyrene beads.

You might not have a lot of choice in the buildings or rooms that you use to store and access the archives collections that you are looking after. Look for problem areas and see what you can do to mitigate them.

• Windows: too much light is damaging to archives, so consider putting up black-out blinds or UV-excluding film on the windowpanes and make sure as much of the collections as possible are stored in boxes.
• Carpets: avoid carpets if you can because they collect dust and debris and they provide a food source for insect pests. Replace them with a robust, washable floor covering when possible. If you have carpets, use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter daily.
• Heating and water pipes: find out if you have pipes running through your storage rooms and have a plan to deal with any leaks.
• Food areas: find somewhere else to have a coffee break or lunch break, other than in the areas that store archives or that you use to work with archives.

Maintaining a clean archive store area is essential to preserving the quality of your collections. Anyone using the collections should be supplied with a simple checklist of housekeeping rules and equipment. It could include the following:

• All work areas should be regularly cleaned by anyone using them.
• Microfibre cloths (dry or slightly dampened with clean water) are excellent for cleaning shelves, work surfaces, walls and windows. Don’t use polishes, cleaning agents or spray unless advised by a conservator.
• Brushes and vacuums can be used to clean floors.
• Rubbish bins should be emptied.
• Don’t eat or drink in the stores or when handling collections.

Archives and objects in the collections should NOT be cleaned by housekeeping methods (see Conservation and Cleaning below).

Monitoring and controlling the environment will improve the condition and long-term preservation of your collections. Dampness, dryness and warmth are all factors which affect the survival of archives. Damp softens paper, it can make paper stick together, it encourages mould growth and it damages ink. Over-dry paper becomes brittle and contracts, and it is more vulnerable to cracking and splitting. Warmth also encourages insect pests.

You need to be able to measure temperature and humidity accurately before you can work out if you need to try to control it. The best monitoring devices are those that will take readings automatically at set intervals, that you can then download to a computer and see whether you have fluctuations throughout the day and night. You can do this manually, using a thermometer and a hygrometer and taking readings at regular times.

You should aim for a stable temperature and relative humidity, with no sudden changes or fluctuations. That can be difficult if your building is colder at night and warmer during the day. You may have to take into account the temperature that people feel comfortable working and keep the building warmer than is ideal for archives storage. You might also find that your building changes temperature in winter and summer, and sometimes a rainy day raises the relative humidity inside the building. Advice on the acceptable range of temperature and relative humidity has changed with the latest research. Here is the advice from the British Standards Institute BS4971:2017 Conservation and care of archive and library collections (London, 2017):

• Paper and mixed materials should be stored at stable temperatures which are no more than 23°C at the hottest time of the year and no less than 13°C at the coldest time of the year. Ideally any changes in temperature will be gradual and seasonal.
• The relative humidity for paper and mixed materials should be stable and maintained between 35% and 60%.
• Where practical, store photographic material with gelatin emulsions in cool storage with a constant temperature between 5°C and 18°C with a constant relative humidity between 30% and 50%
• Magnetic tape (cassette tapes, data tapes, video tapes) should be stored in cool storage, at a stable temperature between 5°C and 18°C but with a microclimate package holding the relative humidity to 25%.

Further guidance is available here: Museums Galleries Scotland guidance on environmental monitoring.

Mould and insect pests thrive in a damp, warm atmosphere and eat or destroy paper, leather, vellum, board and other components of archives. Rodents can gnaw and chew bound volumes and carry insects. Bird nests and bird droppings harbour insects which damage archives, as well as being a risk to human health.

Insects are hard to spot and to identify until the damage has been done. Mould, similarly can grow inside archives and only be noticed when a box is opened.

Pest monitoring

• Use sticky insect traps, placed in dark corners and unobtrusive areas and check them every three months.
• Look for signs of any infestation, such as rodent droppings, insect frass.
• Look inside a systematic sample of bound volumes and boxes every three months for signs of book lice.

Pest treatment

• To kill book lice, you can usually freeze paper items for 5 days. Consult a conservator if the items are made of vellum or anything other than paper, and ask a conservator about how to wrap paper items before freezing them.
• To get rid of rodents, call in a professional pest service. Talk to them about the treatments they plan to use in case there is any risk to the archives.

Further guidance on Integrated Pest Management is available here. For help on identifying types of pests, have a look at the page What’s Eating Your Collections (click her to access) or the publication Buggy Biz, by clicking here.

Mould monitoring

If you have damp conditions you should monitor for mould growth.

• Mould can be hard to see in normal light; if you are concerned about mould, you can use a raking light, such as a bright LED torch, toexamine any items suspected of having mould.
• Ask anyone working with your archives to report any evidence of mould to a designated person.
• Look inside a sample of boxes every three months to check for signs of dampness or mould growth.

Mould treatment

Mould, both active and inactive, is potentially hazardous and can trigger allergic reactions in some people. If mould is discovered, wear facemasks with an FFP2 or FFP3 rating until the mould outbreak is dealt with.

• Dry, inactive mould can be brushed off into a document cleaning shield and disposed of. Do this in a well-ventilated area.
• Active mould is generally damp, so use de-humidifiers to reduce the relative humidity and seek the advice of a conservator.

It is good practice to look closely at your buildings and identify where the risks of flooding or fire might come from. Look at your site – is it low-lying, near a river or other water source, do you know where the main sewage and water mains run, and do you know where the stopcocks are? Look at your surrounding area and your neighbours – are there kitchens, gas mains, welding works, petrol stations or other sources of combustion nearby? Ask your local Fire & Rescue Services if they can help you identify your fire risks. You can find out more about Emergency Planning here.

Archives are easily concealed, torn, cut or written on, they can have a collectible value, usually have identification marks which can be easily removed, and it is hard to check if a few sheets or pages have been removed or defaced from a bundle or a volume. No-one likes to think that a friendly researcher, volunteer or member of staff could be stealing or damaging archives, but sadly, this does happen from time to time. Having good procedures can help to prevent loss and damage and can help the police investigate if the worst happens.

• Try to make sure that there are at least two people around the archives whenever you are working on them.
• Invigilate visitors and researchers: don’t leave anyone alone with archives.
• Have somewhere for people to hang up their coats, so that they are not draped on the back of chairs.
• Have somewhere for bags to be placed, such as lockers, so that they are not kept close to where people are sitting: this makes it harder for someone to remove a letter from a bundle and slip it into their bags or a pocket.
• Keep storage rooms locked and secure, with only designated people allowed in.
• Have a clear trail of which archives have been seen by each person (staff, volunteers and researchers): use two-part forms or a book that they sign with a note of the reference number of each item, the date issued and when each item is returned to storage.
• Limit the number of items that can be looked at: make sure these are all returned before any more items are produced.
• If there are restricted records (for data protection or other reasons), make sure that the restrictions are clearly marked so that they are not given to someone who is not entitled to see them.
• Don’t let researchers or visitors use your computers: they might introduce a virus or hack into areas that are confidential.
• Try not to let researchers or visitors look over your shoulder, especially if you are looking up personal data (such as contact details of other staff or volunteers).

So, after you have made all these efforts to handle your records correctly and store them as best you can, what do you do if they are damaged?

• Don’t try to repair any tears or damage yourself.
• Never use sellotape, commercial glue, pastes or rubber cement and never laminate archives. You will do far more damage by trying to repair them with these materials than if you simply leave well alone.
• You can clean archives with soft brushes and smoke sponges but watch our video first (click here to watch). Be very gentle. Only use smoke sponges where there are no pencil marks as smoke sponges can remove pencil. If in doubt, it’s always best to consult a professional conservator.
• You can put some torn items carefully into polyester sleeves where you can see them without handling them directly.
• If you decide items need to be conserved, then get an estimate from several conservators and seek their advice on the alternatives. For more information on how to find a conservator, click here.
• Do make good quality digital copies and use these copies instead of the originals, so that you can store the originals safely.

Condition surveys

It can be very helpful to get an overview of the condition of your archives. Are they generally clean, undamaged and useable or do you have a lot of items which are dirty or damaged and in need of conservation treatment? If you have a small collection you can look at each item and if you have a large collection, you can look at 10% of the collections through systematic sampling.

A condition survey should categorise each checked item as Good, Fair, Poor or Unusable (see table below). It should also note what packaging has been used – is it in a box, is there secondary packaging such as a folder or envelope, and are the materials of an archival standard?

Surveys like this can guide how you prioritise any conservation treatment for individual items and help you to identify any underlying issues in your collections care or provide reassurance that your collections care is appropriate.

Good	Item is stable and does not require any treatment. There may be minor damage.
Fair	Item is reasonably stable, has some minor damage and needs more careful handling. It would benefit from treatment but this is not essential. Very dirty items which are otherwise undamaged should be classed as fair until they can be surface-cleaned.
Poor	Item is unstable and has suffered some damage. Must be handled and stored very carefully to prevent further damage.
Unusable	Item is badly damaged and in an unstable condition. It should not be handled as this would cause further damage.