Chapter 9:
RECORDS PRESERVATION

Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to raise an awareness of issues associated with the preservation and conservation of permanently valuable and other important public records stored in any county.

The Society of American Archivists defines preservation and conservation as:

Preservation = The totality of processes and operations involved in the stabilization and protection of documents against damage or deterioration and in the treatment of damaged or deteriorated documents. Preservation also may include the transfer of information from one medium to another, such as paper to microfilm.

Conservation = The act of restoring a document and one aspect of an overall preservation program. Conservation treatment generally is used to stabilize materials in their original format by chemical or physical means. (Because conservation is a complicated process, though, treating any records with enduring historical value by anyone other than a professional conservator is not recommended.)

In short, preservation is about maintaining records as they are (by protecting them from decomposition or damage), and conservation is about restoring them to what they were by countering the damage that has already been done to them, whether by natural or human actions.

Assessing Environmental Conditions

A site survey is an evaluation of the suitability of work and storage environments for safety, security, stability of temperature and humidity levels, fire detection and suppression, and disaster prevention. A site survey documents areas that need improvement in order to be proper storage environments.

Surveys assess the following criteria:

• Temperature and humidity. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity, even if they are not in the ideal range, pose more of a threat to records than steady, less-than-ideal temperatures and humidity. Stable temperatures in the range of 68 degrees F, and a relative humidity of 50 to 55 percent are accepted environmental guidelines for paper records. It is important that temperature and humidity levels remain constant with only small fluctuations within the recommended range. Some offices have severe temperature and humidity fluctuations during weekends and over long holiday periods.
• Fire and smoke detection. Smoke detectors, fire alarms connected to a 24-hour monitoring station, and sprinkler systems provide a good line of defense against records destruction by fire. Even fire extinguishers, if kept charged and ready for a fire emergency are often all that is needed to avert a disaster. Well-trained staff and communication ties with fire department personnel enhance fire safety. Local fire departments can assist in assessing records storage areas.
• Vulnerable storage locations. Records in attics and basements tend to suffer greatly. Attics are frequently too hot in summer and too cold in winter and often can become infested with squirrels, birds and other animals. Basements are subject to floods, and their normally damp conditions are hospitable environments for roaches, silverfish, and other insects, in addition to rats and mice. For humans who must access records in these areas, either space, where such conditions exist, poses a health hazard. A site survey will determine if records are being subjected to improper storage and handling. Special care should be taken in the placement of permanent records for safety and access. Records should be kept at least three inches off the floor, and away from windows, steam, sewer or water pipes. Toilets, sinks, windows, pipes, and drainage inside and outside the building should be checked periodically for leakage.

Some well-known enemies of paper and other records:

Pests: Insects, mold and mildew result from improper maintenance of storage areas. Food and drinks in storage areas attract insects and rodents.

Mold and Mildew: High humidity encourages mold and mildew. Once mold or mildew is allowed to grow, the environment is contaminated, perhaps forever. Records stored in a facility where mold or mildew has been found must be moved. Even after a move (which is usually expensive), spores may blossom on the records in a new location. If the records are permanent, professional mitigation personnel, with special breathing machines, chemicals, protective clothing, etc., must be called in to remedy the problem. Such services cost many tens of thousands of dollars. It is far better to do all that is possible to prevent the problem from occurring in the first place.

Sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) light: Light fades and discolors paper. Ultraviolet shields are available to shield fluorescent light tubes. They are inexpensive to purchase and easy to install. If a facility is being equipped with lighting, and there is a choice of which type of light is to be installed, the preference is to choose incandescent lighting, like the kind found in home lamps. This type is far less harsh for the records. In addition, the advantage in choosing incandescent lighting is that separate switches or separate pull cords can control which areas of the storage area are lit. As for sunlight, one has only to think about what happens to a newspaper that is left on a porch for a day or two. The resulting discoloration is what will also quickly happen to paper records which are exposed to sunlight.

Air flow: Air streaming onto records can cause them to deteriorate by changing the temperature and humidity around them. Air ducts can be diverted, or boxes of non-permanent records can be placed nearest the ducts so that they become deflectors of the air away from more valuable records.

Permanent Paper Preservation

Some general guidelines for handling permanent paper records are as follows:

• All permanent paper records should be created using alkaline (acid-free) paper. This type of paper is available from office supply stores. All archival and permanent records should be stored or housed in acid-free folders and boxes to ensure protection from acidity normally found in regular folders and storage boxes. Acid-free boxes can be purchased from office supply stores, too, but often they or acid-free folders have to be special ordered. Over a period of time, acid in "regular" folders and boxes will destroy the records inside.
• Adhesive tape should never be used to repair archival or permanent records. It deteriorates over time, and the adhesive browns and darkens the paper to which it was attached. Archival repair tape can be purchased from a reputable archival supply dealer. Access to catalogues for suppliers of archival materials is available online, or contact the State Archives for information on reputable suppliers.
• Use only rust-proof or plastic paper clips on permanent records. These are available at office supply stores and frequently come in colors.
• Rubber bands and staples should be removed from permanent records before they are stored.
• Papers should be unfolded and arranged for flat storage in acid-free folders that are labeled in pencil. Folds and creases weaken paper. However, the flat filing of fragile documents that have been folded for many years should not be forced. The State Archives can render assistance in specific instances where such preservation help is needed. Much information and instruction can be gained over the phone, and irreparable pitfalls in handling delicate records can be avoided.

Photographs

Photographs often are among the most important historical records in an office and they present unique challenges. Photographs range from early tintypes, ambrotypes, daguerreotypes, and black and white to color pictures and slides or the latest digital photographs. Photographs are physically and chemically more complex than paper materials. A print or negative is composed of a base material, usually paper or film, coated with a light-sensitive emulsion. Over the years, different substances have been used for the base material and the emulsion. Photographs are subject to deterioration from chemicals left after processing, careless handling, and exposure to light and heat. The instability of color dyes makes color photographs transient or non-permanent. It is difficult to convince people that the color photographs of their weddings, children, or other significant people and events in their lives will fade, often in as soon as 25 years. These photographs will deteriorate even faster if they are on desks or furniture exposed to sunlight or fluorescent lighting, or if they are stored in photo albums that are not acid-free.

Following these basic practices will extend the life of photographs:

• Prints and negatives should be held by their edges in order to avoid touching the emulsion surface. Ideally, those who plan to handle government photographs should use cotton gloves, available from any photo supply store.
• Pressure sensitive tape, metal clips, rubber bands or adhesives should not be used to keep photographs together. A separate envelope, marked with a pencil describing the contents, is a better way to make sure photographs that should stay together are kept together.
• Ballpoint and felt-tip pens should not be used on photographs for identification purposes. Instead, identifying information should be recorded using a soft lead pencil on the back edge of the pictures.
• All important photographs should be copied in black and white. Black and white photographs are permanent, color photographs are not.

Bound Volumes

Bound volumes and books are composed of a variety of materials and can require complex preservation measures. In the U.S., during the earliest years of bookmaking, the paper was made from rags. This paper is more stable - even today - than the paper made in the last 125 years or so. Over the years, cheaper construction materials were used to create bound volumes, making paper production far easier, quicker, and cheap enough for everyone to have access to as much paper as they want. However, the wood pulp-based paper and the chemicals used to create it cause rapid deterioration. Regular handling and improper storage accelerate deterioration and damage. Newsprint is the most unstable paper of all. One has only to consider what happens to a newspaper left out on the front porch for a few days, in sun or rain, to understand how unstable it is.

Extensive measures, if needed, should be undertaken by a professional conservator. Some methods professional conservators and archivists use to slow down the deterioration process are listed below:

• Volumes should be shelved vertically to avoid the stress placed on a book's spine. Oversized or thick volumes may require filing horizontally.
• Space should be left between volumes. Crowding can cause damage - especially during retrieval.
• Volumes should be retrieved by pulling them from the shelf from their middle, not by pulling on the tops of their spine.
• Flat bookmarks should be used to mark places in a bound volume.
• Heavy items should not be placed in or on a volume.
• Marking parts of a book using metal paper clips, holding the volume together with rubber bands, and turning down the edges of pages are practices to be avoided.
• Pencil, pen, or high lighters should not be used to mark portions of important bound volumes.
• Photocopying volumes is discouraged, but if it can withstand photocopying, the spine should not be pressed down on the glass platen of the copier.

Conserving Electronic Records

Master copies of records in an electronic format must be kept in some manner so that access is assured for the full retention period indicated on a Records Retention and Disposition Schedule. Long-term storage of records held in electronic formats presents numerous challenges. While information stored in an electronic format may have a permanent retention, the media are not considered permanent. Most electronic storage media are expected to last from a relatively few years (disks) up to as long as 20 or more years for some CDs and optical disks. The information is what is being managed, not the media. Data (information) might well have to be migrated (updated or changed) to another medium before its retention period has been reached. Before any migration to a format that is not eye-readable (especially electronic or digital), the vendor must assure the government office that migration plans are built into the specifications and pricing, and include guarantees against any data loss or drop out in process.

• How long the media lasts depends on factors such as the conditions in which they have been stored (stable temperatures, stored flat) as well as the wear and tear that they have experienced in daily use. The manufacturing date of media, not the recording date, is the "start" date. Information storage media should be bought only as it is needed.
• The cost of the retention and maintenance of hardware devices that allow access to the data must also be considered when committing to a new technology. Even under the best of conditions, hardware becomes obsolete, parts are difficult to locate, and service for the equipment becomes limited. Software operating systems also become obsolete as new versions are created, making some earlier versions incapable of being accessed, or discontinued and therefore no longer supported by the developer.

Acquiring Storage Supplies & Contacting Professionals

Acid-free folders and envelopes, durable boxes, colored record labels or any number of record storage supplies that might be needed, are available from dozens of companies that manufacture and distribute storage supplies. Some of these may also be found at local office supply stores. Many Records Officers order their supplies from mail-order catalogs or through the internet.

A wonderful source of information can also be found by contacting a chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) nearest you (there are none in West Virginia at this time, but there are several in the surrounding states). The web site www.arma.org is a rich resource as well. Your colleagues who also manage records are generous with their time, their experiences, and their expertise.

Records that have been damaged by fire, water, or some other means, may require that professional conservationists be hired. Conservation can be expensive, but in some cases, the expense is necessary. The most important phone call after such a disaster should be to the State Archives. The State Archives maintains an up-to-date listing of companies and individuals with this kind of expertise.

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1. Glossary, 1992.

Records Management and Preservation Board