Think Disaster Planning

No, really. You clearly don't want to be caught off guard.

Preservation Paper Dolls

Arguably, since the start of this project its been hard to keep my children engaged in preservation needs. But they are only two – and very into pretend. The other day I came up with the most insane idea ever. Preservation. Paper. Dolls.

No – stay with me – what if we made a librarian who could wear his/her bookbinder’s apron AND the book to carry? Could only be held by the ends of the spine (there are NO tabs on the headcap or tailcap, so its impossible for this preservation doll to carry the item the wrong way).

I know – I’ve completely lost it. But the twins seem to like the idea – they color in their template, I cut out the pieces and off we go.

And if you’re feeling especially fruity, you can make him/her the required disaster kit tyvek full body suit (this paper doll’s suit is actually made out of real tyvek – I had scraps lying around).

Commit me if you must – but I am going to make preservation interesting for the under-five crowd. 

Tyvek "L" shaped enclosures

I have this dream someday to make an archive for cooking items from the 1950s. Mid-century modern culinary library (or something of the sort). Tyvek is a fabulous substance for loose papers and books – its anti-static and protects against wear (side note, try tearing a piece - its impossible). Its also something which can be rescued from recycling and put into use immediately.

Back to my kitchen archive – three items I have are all odd sizes. For this DIY project I salvaged some great pieces of Tyvek, measured a selection of my items and created “L” shaped holders for them; I also identified them on the outside using an archival pen. Note: lots of tyvek is not archival quality and is meant for short-term storage/shipping. It is, however, tear resistant, lightweight, can be sewn, flexible and very strong. It can also be cut to size. Plus its waterproof (which is why I think it will be great for a kitchen archive).

Endless signage possibilities

For preservation purposes - the sky's the limit. (NB This is a case in point why you shouldn't give a librarian access to Photoshop).

Wordless Wednesday

Making your own book 'cradle'

I’m not going to lie – I am having a lot of fun with this blog. Everywhere I look, I see inert items wanting to be used. Just the other day, I came across this in our server room; our IT director was all too happy to let me have them. I had plans. For book reinforcements (not just for display purposes, but for everyday reading room use – especially for important historic materials that need spine support). 

Book cradles can be expensive – and they can break easily (if made of plexiglass) – and they are difficult to store (bulky). I propose making a book cradle – but not out of something like cardboard (I worry that could have the same problems as plexiglass – minus expense, of course) but with inexpensive (if you’re lucky, free), inert materials. Yes – I’m talking about Tyvek. And I’m talking about polyfoam. 

The above type of foam can be found packed with computers (shipping material to keep interior components safe). I am advocating (and here demonstrating) to cut them up (tip: food processors don’t work) - cut them into manageable size chunks - and then cut them again (as small as you can).  

Fill them into a tyvek envelope and off you go.

 

And, if you’re feeling fancy, make a cover from some (acceptable) material. I for one, like the tyvek look. I’ve already started using my “cradle” around the house – to keep cookbooks open and near the computer.

Tintype Storage

So I kind of went rogue – I purchased ‘collections’ items for educational purposes on ebay. I wanted to find some 19^th century photographic materials that were relatively inexpensive; I actually ‘won’ 6 unidentified tintypes.

They were delivered to my house. In the regular sorted USPS mail. In a standard sized business envelope. I’m not quite sure what I expected (museum-quality special-made case?) but I felt the pull to house them. Immediately (which was, arguably the point of the self-driven exercise). 

After consulting some pretty great websites, including the Conserve O Gram, the NEDCC, the Library of Congress and the Book and PaperGroup Annual I felt ready to try. (Note: the more I got into this, the more I realized I could likely spend the rest of my life lost in it). In short – the best thing to do for these items is 1) describe (they are unidentified – so use words), 2) reformat if possible (take a quick shot) 3) protect with paper enclosure – items were uncased tintypes – acid-free, lignin-free high-quality paper (or if present polyester sleeves, of which I had none). [Note: paper pros – inexpensive and protects from light]. 4) label.

 

Here is my step-by-step of the first one in my new mini-collection:

Describe: 

Unidentified young girl seated next to table. Girl wears a dress trimmed with lace, white stockings and a bow in her hair. Pink tinted cheeks. 8.7 x 6 cm.

You will need:

Tintype

Ruler

Pencil

Bone folder

Scissors

X-acto cutting tool

Acid-free/lignin-free piece of paper (heavier weight is great – like a cardstock)

Note: do not touch the front of the tintype; handle the photograph from the outside edges – if you are practicing to be sure the paper is sized correctly, remove the tintype between stages.

1.     Measure your tintype – cut a piece of paper twice the size (plus 1.5 inches in length). So if your tintype is 3.5 x 2.5 inches, cut the piece of paper to be 8.5 x 5 inches.

 

2.     Reproduce the size of the tintype (lightly in pencil) in the center of the piece of paper (make sure to keep the extra 1.5 inches in length on the top). Fold, into the middle, the left and right sides of the paper. Bone folder.  

4.     Fold up the bottom (also rub down with a bone folder). 

5.     Unfold paper; from the top, cut down a rectangle (this will depend on your final size) towards the folded flaps where the length of your tintype would be. Cut straight across the flaps.

6.     Refold; where the point of the triangle meets the folded bottom make a point; using a sharp knife, cut a small straight line approximately 3 cm across.

7.     (Just to be sure, unfold and check to make sure your tintype will fit – I tried this several times and it worked out – but you never know…

8.     Trim down the bottom fold cutting away two equal rectangle (this will help the enclosure to fold better).

9.     Label the outside of the enclosure in pencil.

Have a Preservation Drive

When it comes to historic records, archives and library care there are always people who want to help – either during a disaster or before. Sometimes they just need to know how.

One way to involve the community (and get what you need for your collection) is to have a preservation drive (if you were extremely dorky, which I am, you could call it a ‘can’ drive…) List on the sheet the items you would ideally like (inert archival-friendly items) – and don’t forget things for your disaster kit. If you’d like, you can have it around May Day, Heritage Preservation’s Annual emergency preparedness day; then you can dovetail with their efforts.

I have on this wish-list (and collected from some lovely volunteers, below) Tyvek envelopes, pencils, stamps, erasers, hand soap (for washing hands), bricks (for making weights), Wet Ones wipes, Vinyl gloves, Quick Cover Ponchos, Protective mask and flashlights. But you may want to ask for acid-free/lignin-free paper for making enclosures, book ends, document boxes, etc. LYRASIS offers a great disaster prevention and protection checklist which might also give you some ideas too (if its more buildings/minor structural issues you have and want to collect for). 

And yes, it is possible to pose next to a collection box.