Working with Architectural Plans

          I’m still working on architectural plans.  Why couldn’t the architects standardize size? That makes a difficult re-housing task even more difficult. File folders and boxes come in size 32x 40, but some of the plans are larger than that. If they are linens they can be rolled, but tracing paper or brittle vellum needs to flat. (Everything would be better stored flat.) One of my co-workers came up with what I think is a brilliant plan to move the 32x40 size boxes. Right now they are stored on what we are calling bread shelving, which is on wheels. (6 heavy gauge wire shelves like you see as a bakery)  The plan is to wheel the whole shelving unit from our office directly into a van and then unload it the same way.  (

 I’m still working on architectural plans.  Why couldn’t the architects standardize size? That makes a difficult re-housing task even more difficult. File folders and boxes come in size 32x 40, but some of the plans are larger than that. If they are linens they can be rolled, but tracing paper or brittle vellum needs to flat. (Everything would be better stored flat.) One of my co-workers came up with what I think is a brilliant plan to move the 32x40 size boxes. Right now they are stored on bread shelving, which is on wheels. (6 heavy gauge wire shelves like you see as a bakery)  The plan is to wheel the whole shelving unit from our office directly into a van and then unload it the same way.  (The plans have to be taken to the University of North Texas in Denton.  Hopefully they have s a loading dock. ) They plan to hold the boxes in place with shrink wrap. Great idea! I’ve been worried about this for months.   

Now I just have to figure out how to move the really large plan sets.  One of the supply houses has a larger size file folder so I got that.  It’s fine, but file folders especially of that size are floppy. These plans are also going to UNT so we have to figure out how to move them safely given that there are no boxes large enough for them.  I could make a box, but I’m not sure I could even get barrier board large enough.  My solution, but I’m open to suggestions, is to make a cover folder out of e-flute archival board.  I’d tie it closed with cotton tying tape. Using that type of housing would enable us to move the material out of the door because we could turn it on its side and it would be secure enough not to slide. In a box, if I was to make one, it could slide and be damaged. Working with oversized materials is hard.

Archival Compromises

            We make compromises all the time.  That’s true in life and it’s true in archival processing.  There’s the ideal way to do something and then there’s reality.  For example, many factors go into making a decision as to the best housing for collections.  Right now dealing with architectural plans I am having to compromise to deal with those factors. Because the drawings are on different media, each requires different housing.  The ideal is to store them flat in metal map cases and separate the different materials - linen from tracing paper and so on.  The reality is that these plans are going to be digitized meaning each set needs to be kept together.  In addition we don’t know where the plans will go after they are digitized so we don’t know what potential housing conditions they will face. Unless you're the Getty, money also limits decisions that are possible.  All of this means that rehousing decisions will involve compromise. You just have to do your best.  The same is true for protecting your materials at home.  At a minimum keep paper items in the dark with some control over humidity and temperature.  That means not in an attic, basement, or unheated storage building.  Some things you just shouldn't compromise if you want materials to last.

Back to Photographs

            Well I’m great at telling people what they should do to preserve their photographs, but with my own photographs I have not done so well.  Actually mine are pretty much a study in what not to do. I shouldn’t admit that should I? Anyway over the holidays my daughter wanted to look at old photographs. I had some in an old accordion file (Actually they were my mother’s and grandmother’s so they are old - early 1900s.) I had put them beside the sofa to begin re-housing them in archival envelopes and had actually re-housed a few. That was last Christmas - 2013 not this past one. Oops! Dusty, disorganized, unlabeled. Oh dear.  Somehow it's been easier to go through someone else’s pictures. That is now going to change.

            What to do to rectify the damage and start making forward progress?  Last year I made the decision that I didn’t want to put them in albums so instead I had ordered polyester archival sleeves. Good so far.  That provides protection, but not order. This year I ordered document envelopes so that I can impose organization.  I’ve decided to do it by subject - my mother’s family, my father’s, my childhood and favorite animals and so on.  Other schemes could be by date, certain activities, locations, whatever.  It’s an individual thing.  My mother had started to separate by the subjects I noted so I’m just following her order more or less. Choose your own. By the way there’s nothing wrong with albums.  They do make viewing easier and do protect your photographs as well as sleeves.  I just happen to like sleeves and envelopes  (By the way all of the archival houses have envelopes in lots of 25 or 100 and in various sizes. I got 9 ½ by 12 with a side opening.  Again your choice.)

            As far as the dust is concerned.  It isn’t as bad as I initially thought.  The accordion folder protected most of the pictures and many of the very early ones were in archival sleeves. I do have a can of pressurized air and also a very soft brush.  That is halting any damage.

            Anyway the moral of this story is don’t wait.  Keep up with your photographs and get going with the organizing and re-housing.  Don’t forget to label with pencil or an India ink pen- never a ballpoint.

Framing Documents the Archival Way

            Over the holidays I got an email from someone asking about how to frame an old diploma, which they thought was parchment (probably not)  Apparently the document was in poor condition although the writer did not elaborate on what that meant.  There are two questions here - (1) how to care for a damaged document and (2) how to frame documents.  Without knowing more about the document and not being a paper conservator I have to leave the first question to experts.  What I can suggest is to house the material in an archival folder out of the light and contact a conservator in the state where you live.  This can be costly depending on the work that is involved, but there are places that will give estimates.  Here in Texas the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin maintains a list of conservators - www.hrc.utexas.edu/conservation/resources/directory.  I do know that the Northeast Document Conservation Center is a reputable organization (www.nedcc.org) and you can send them documents for estimates.  Conservation comes down to money as the deciding factor.  Individuals protecting family heirlooms just may want to store their documents in a safe, dry, and dark archival box. Organizations may have more money to invest in conservation.

            What I will comment on is how to frame documents to preserve them for as long as possible.  This you can do at home and although more expensive than regular framing the steps you take will help extend the life of your document.  Of course you need archival (acid free) supplies.  The document should be behind UV filtered glass and separated from the glass with an acid free mat.  Never put any document directly touching glass.  It could stick and often will.  Backing of the frame requires archival board - usually e-flute board, which looks like blue-grey cardboard, but is acid free.  Regular cardboard is not acceptable.  If you have framed items with cardboard you should replace the backing for them as well. That’s it and you are good to go.  By the way most good framing places can do this if you ask.  Next step is not hanging it in direct sunlight.  If you really want to protect it take it out of the light every few months.  The term for this is “resting” the material.  Good luck and remember nothing organic lasts forever, but you certainly can extend its life.