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APPLYING SELF-ADHESIVE LABELS TO ACID-FREE FILE FOLDERS
Position manuscript material away from the reinforced tab of the file folder.
Work slowly so label doesn't accidentally adhere to manuscripts.
Label should cover any penciled text on the upper left tab and sit about 1/16" below top edge
Text that might protrude should be erased before the label is affixed to avoid smearing ink.
Use white Mars plastic Staedtler erasers for folders, sweep work area frequently into wastebasket.
Be consistent with placement in a given collection, once the location is chosen.
Do not reapply spoiled labels as they can smear and eventually fall off : it is better to reprint them.
FILLING AN UPRIGHT DOCUMENT BOX
There are acid-free board "spacers" for Record Storage boxes (Paige boxes) and Document boxes (Hollinger boxes) available to prevent this from happening. There is also a thinner, a wider, and a taller version of the document box available. If you cannot slip your hand into the back of the box, it is overfull. But it is also important not to under-fill the box. The folders and their contents will start to slip and curl at the bottom if the box is not adequately full. They can be seen to "slouch" over in the box, as illustrated below.
FILLING AN UPRIGHT FILE FOLDER AND WHEN TO CREASE BOTTOM OF FOLDER
In addition to the crease along the bottom of the .
Paige boxes not completely full, with folders "slouching".
Spacers for Paige boxes (below). They come in both letter and legal size, depending on the orientation of the folders in the box.
Gray corrugated spacers (below) for use with flip-top document boxes. And, corrugated single sheets (dividers) in both letter and legal size, for "fine tuning" the fit. We no longer use the tabbed ones because the tab sticks up slightly too high. (Shown on bottom shelf are white acid-free inner folders for both letter and legal size manuscript folders).
FILLING AN UPRIGHT FILE FOLDER AND WHEN TO CREASE BOTTOM OF FOLDER
In addition to the crease along the bottom of the folder, there are some additional score lines that could be folded to adjust the thickness of the folder when necessary. If in doubt about where to crease the folder, it may be better not to crease it at all, but to ask for help. Use the guidelines below:
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UPRIGHT MANUSCRIPTS TALLER THAN FOLDER
Use a custom inner folder, which we cut from white acid-free folder scrap and store in a legal-sized document box (Hollinger). Unlike the legal-sized folders, these folders are the full height of the box and provide protection for manuscripts that would otherwise protrude from the top of the folder. These inner folders do not have tabs. We use these custom folders for protection, even though they cover the label on the reinforced tab of the outer folder. If vendors made folders the full height of the boxes, we wouldn't need to make our own. If such folders were available, we would use them exclusively, because it is safer to have the folders all of equal height. Occasionally we might use the custom folder alone rather than as an inner folder. In that case, we would put the label on the outside front of the folder so it is visible.
UPRIGHT MANUSCRIPTS TALL ENOUGH TO COVER FOLDER LABEL
Reuseable white acid-free "music-sized" folders from storage area can also be cut down to the size of the front flap of a legal-sized folder, and also trimmed a bit on the end so that they fit easily inside a regular legal-sized acid-free manuscript folder. These are useful for items that are torn, or need to be kept together, or need to be isolated for whatever reason. They can be used for clippings that are fragile. This also helps use up old stock that would otherwise be unusable.
UPRIGHT MANUSCRIPTS sized folders, these folders are the full height of the box and provide protection for manuscripts that would otherwise protrude from the top of the folder. These inner folders do not have tabs. We use these custom folders for protection, even though they cover the label on the reinforced tab of the outer folder. If vendors made folders the full height of the boxes, we wouldn't need to make our own. If such folders were available, we would use them exclusively, because it is safer to have the folders all of equal height. Occasionally we might use the custom folder alone rather than as an inner folder. In that case, we would put the label on the outside front of the folder so it is visible.
UPRIGHT MANUSCRIPTS TALL ENOUGH TO COVER FOLDER LABEL
UPRIGHT MANUSCRIPTS TOO TALL FOR DOCUMENT BOX
For a collection that is going to HD, use an extra tall (12 ½") Hollinger box for items that are best stored upright but do not fit into the regular size document box. DO NOT use a tall document box for HTC items that will be stored onsite, as they exceed the dimensions of the shelving. Use of the tall document box may be re-evaluated so that the number of different kinds of boxes and supplies can be minimized. In that case, we may decide to use flat boxes for those oversize items. For items that are removed from their normal sequence, the manuscript end-processor will annotate the Finding Aid Correction notebook with "shelved at end of collection" or "shelved as pf at end of collection".
Basic procedures, warnings and tips : flat collection
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