PROCEDURES, WARNINGS, AND TIPS FOR END PROCESSOR

For examples of solutions to various housing and labeling, and other issues, see also:

General topics
(HD) Format Restrictions)
Housing Solutions
Preservation / Conservation
Recycling and disposal
Sample Book (and rules) for non-standard labels and tabs
Single item manuscript end processing for the end processor
Supplies guidelines

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DIGITAL IMAGING
"DRS" (digital repository service) is marked in pencil on folder labels by Mary Haegert and her staff when items are digitized.


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Photographic Photographic

PHOTOGRAPHS AND PHOTOGRAPHIC TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS

Many early photographic techniques require special handling. Consult Conservation, who may suggest alerting the Photo Conservator at Weissman Preservation Center for assistance and advice. These are marked below, that will always need assistance, but also ask Conservation if there is any uncertainty about any particular photograph or technique.

PHOTOGRAPHS  *Consult Houghton Conservation with any questions. Weissman Center photo conservator can assist or advise.

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PHOTOGRAPHS : upright storage
We put photographs into photosleeves only if the processing level is 2 or above, or if there is some special concern. They can be stored upright if in good condition, or flat according to the needs of the rest of the collection. If they are moderately curled, putting them in many folders in a flat box may help keep them from curling more. If badly curled and in need of flattening, consult Preservation staff. If badly curled, single or in a block, storing flat with no weight is best.  If a photograph is a bit taller than the front of portion of an upright folder and doesn't fit in a photosleeve, we make an inner folder out of mylar, just slightly smaller than the outer folder. The inner folder can be the same height as the folder it is in. We try to make such folders uniform in size within a box, rather than have a lot of custom-sized inner folders of all different heights, even if it means that the photograph will sometimes be shorter than the inner folder.

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PHOTOGRAPHIC TYPES OF MANUSCRIPTS

AMBROTYPES  *see: daguerreotypes

DAGUERREOTYPES *Consult Houghton Conservation (Weissman Center wants to examine all new material or problems)
Daguerreotypes can be stored upright only if: (a) the original box is in good condition, i.e. hinges in good working order, cover not loose and (b) it is in an enclosure that has been custom padded-out for protection. Otherwise, they can be stored flat, also in a padded-out box, and it does not matter whether they are stored with the image facing up or down, even though salts or degradation products from the glass from falling on top of the image can cause damage if they are facing up. In most cases, however, it is preferable to have the image face up, so the reader can see it without having to open it and then close, flip over, and open again.

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CLIPPINGS
For levels 2 and 3 processing clippings might need to be unfolded and interleaved, especially if they are already turning brown and offsetting onto adjacent material.  Use the slightly trimmed (shorter) larger sheets of permalife  (8.5x14") that the end processor can provide. Or if an inner folder is required, use the next size larger permalife (11x17"), folded in half, to separate clippings from other material. Note that Permadur paper is an older equivalent to permalife, and is ok to use/use up. Both these papers have a watermark, however, which is suspected of possibly offsetting onto early manuscripts. So for those the end processor may use a paper with no watermark, selected by the Weissman Center.

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Realia Realia

REALIA

DEATH/LIFE MASKS : originals or casts of face and other parts of body
Whether plaster or metal, these are all to be stored in the VAULT together, usually in a "hat" box, padded with volara or acid-free tissue, and with tissue as a "base" for the hollow area. Consult Conservation for difficult pieces. Metal should be stored in unbuffered boxes if possible. If not possible, surrounded with tissue.   See also:  plaster.

FLAG 
(Housing Solution for a flag).

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