Supportive housing for flat or single sheet items and photographic material
Using fascicules, folders, Melinex sleeves, paper and board support sheets and rigid plastic portfolios (visifiles) will enable you to manage the collection.
Fascicules are an excellent means of managing a large quantity of single sheet material. The items are hinged into soft guarded books with support sheets. This enables viewing and turning pages without the need to handle items.
Folders are part of standard archival practice. Separate items in small groups according to size and store them in bifold paper folders within the larger folders. Take care not to allow smaller items to impress themselves on larger items – you can insert interleaving support boards in boxes where there are folders of mixed size items, to separate them and distribute weight. Avoid overfilling of folders and boxes.
Melinex sleeves come in an array of sizes and thickness grades. L-shaped sleeves are better for larger items, and you should support these with a sheet of paper or thin board to enable easy removal from the sleeve. Store photographic prints in Melinex pockets, and acetate negatives in paper folds.
Portfolios are excellent for storing items in plan chests, to separate groups of material and enable easy retrieval. Visifiles are a commercially made inert plastic product and provide an excellent solution for plan chest storage.
Bound volumes
Store in boxes, in stacks of no more than three volumes, depending on size, or in supportive three-flap wrappers. Use a supportive book shoe if the text block is thick. Wrap items in Tyvek if their condition means they are likely to shed material or discolour neighbouring items.
Objects
Wrap objects in Tyvek or tissue paper and store them in boxes. Use Tyvek for metals as tissue can cause them to tarnish and discolour.
You can create compartments to separate items in boxes using thin board so that items do not come into contact with each other or get damaged in transit. Fill any spaces in boxes with tissue paper balls and puffs.
Labelling
It is essential to label items effectively and clearly, including weight or trigger warnings if necessary. Consider labelling boxes or housing with any increased risks like breakage, fire or pests. This is particularly useful for items that are vulnerable to pest damage such as textiles or plants.
Use a soft 2B pencil for all labelling of paper and books. Label photographs on the back of the print using a soft 2B pencil or label the Melinex pocket.
Label objects with Tyvek labels attached with archive tape, which you can write on with a permanent marker.
Recommended equipment and materials
- Polythene sheeting – clear, heavy gauge, 500+/125 microns. Use to protect material.
- Gazebo – For staff use and to shelter removed materials for triage and on-site cleaning.
- Clear lidded plastic boxes – For transportation, large shallow boxes are ideal. Boxes are also suitable for quarantine, transportation and temporary storage. Really Useful Boxes’ 33 litre clear stackable boxes are a good size.
- Blotter sheets – For lining boxes and drying procedures
- Release materials – To prevent items from sticking to each other or paper. Bondina Roll and silicone release paper are both good options.
- Face masks – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Nitrile gloves – PPE
- Disposable aprons – PPE
- Newsprint – For lining tables and absorbing water
- Zip lock bags – For isolating damp materials and for keeping items with detached components together. Can be used for quarantine, transportation and temporary storage. 2.5 gallon/9.5 litre freezer bags with a zip lock are a good size.
- Folding tables – These should be sufficiently spacious and sturdy. For use during triage, quarantine and drying.
- Tyvek – Available as sheets and labels. ‘1443’ is soft and useful for wrapping, ‘1082’ is more paper-like and is good for housing framed items.
- Archive tape – Unbleached cotton tape – be sure to use a reputable conservation supplier.
- Melinex – Available as rolls and formed pockets and sleeves. Suitable for transportation, triage and housing – use a reputable conservation supplier.
- Latex sponge – Use dry, as a cleaning sponge. Use a reputable conservation supplier.
- Soft brushes – Available in a range of sizes. Artists’ mop or wash brushes (such as sizes 14 and 20) are useful.
- Visifiles – Available in a range of sizes – check they will fit plan chests. Transparent Matt A1 Landscape Visifiles are a good option.
- Folders and envelopes – Look for the following certification:
PAT (photographic activity test) compliant
ISO 11108:1996 – Archival paper – use a reputable conservation supplier - Box board – 1625-micron board advised, look for certifications:
PAT (photographic activity test) compliant
ISO 11108:1996 – Archival paper – use a reputable conservation supplier - Vivak – Transparent flexible plastic that can easily be bent into shapes when warmed with a hairdryer. Can be used for lifting wet material, as thin enough to slip underneath (thickness between 0.5 – 3 mm recommended). Vivak Pet-G Polyester Plates are a good option.
- Hairdryer – For emergency control of bleeding or mobile media
- Fans – For circulating air
- Permanent markers (fine tip) – Labelling housing and Tyvek labels
- Pencils (2B) – Labelling objects