See also:  /wiki/spaces/hmschommanual/pages/49447120

Point-of-accession rehousing & preservation

For LHT staff rehousing materials at the point of accession,  your mantra should be: less is more. The primary goal of rehousing materials at this stage is simply to gain a baseline level of physical control and to get collection materials into records center cartons or other boxes that can be sent to HD. 

At this stage we generally do not:

• Remove paperclips or other fasteners
• Separate newspaper clippings, photographs, or sticky notes
• Re-folder materials (except under some circumstances*)

When to re-folder:

• Hanging file folders are present: remove and discard the hanging file folder. If the hanging file folder had a label, transcribe that label on a new folder, and place the contents of the hanging file folder inside (whether they were loose papers and/or other folders).
• Binders are present: if possible, remove the binder contents and place in a new folder, and transcribe the binder label onto the new folder. Alternatively, you may photocopy the binder cover if it contains too much information to quickly transcribe, place the photocopy in the front of the new folder, and write a shortened version of the label at the top of the folder. 
• Adhesive labels are falling off: transcribe original labels onto new folders and move contents to new folder. 
• Papers are loose in the box: place loose papers in one or more new folders, and either devise a brief but descriptive title for those papers or, if they are truly miscellaneous, just label them [loose papers].
• Do not over-stuff folders: split papers into two or more folders if the depth exceeds the space created by folding the folder along the widest fold-line. Note on physical folders that the file has been split with parenthetical notations: (1 of 2), (2 of 2), etc. You don't need to include these parenthetical notations in the excel folder list. 

Handling duplicates & discards

• Discard multiple copies of publications and reprints, unless reprints are annotated by the creator. Generally, three clean copies of an article authored by the creator are enough. Only keep one copy of a reprint collected by the creator. If in doubt, consult with the Collections Services Archivist.
• All paper discards containing sensitive information (information that would otherwise be restricted if maintained with the collection) should be shredded.  If you have a large quantity, it may be added to the Countway Library shredding, which is handled by a vendor.  Place the papers in a black plastic bag and bring it to the 2^nd floor during a scheduled vendor pickup.  Please contact MJ Grein, Senior Administrative Coordinator, for the date of the next scheduled pickup.
• Digital discards (electronic media that has been imaged and determined to be blank) can be discarded in the secure data shredder near the mail room on the 1st floor.

General preservation practices

• Choose appropriately sized folders for papers, and do not overstuff folders or boxes. Provide support in boxes that are not completely filled.

• Do not remove paperclips, staples, or fasteners unless the document is visibly being damaged. Leave sticky notes on documents

• Remove records from binders to save storage space, but maintain the contents of binders as a single intellectual unit. Do not leave records in hanging folders.

• Keep digital media (CDs, DVDs, zip disks, etc.) in the folders in which they arrive. Do not separate out until content can be assessed.

• Do not photocopy thermofax, verifax, or older electrostatic records unless content is clearly being rendered illegible.

• If the processor encounters moldy or insect damaged records, or if records “smell funny,” note where they are located, place them in plastic bags, and then physically remove them from the stacks or processing areas. It is possible to use laboratory space for cleaning of records, though higher volumes of material may need to be sent to a conservator. Consult the Collections Services Archivist regarding moldy or damaged records as soon as possible.

• When you get to the description stage, provide access points that represent non-textual or “special” formats in both the finding aid’s control access area and the MARC 655 field.

Flagging Items for preservation photocopying

Preservation for special formats

Architectural Drawings, Rolled Items, and Maps

• Architectural drawings found folded and filed in collection boxes should be unfolded and stored in a flat file or oversized document box. Rolled drawings not amenable to unfolding, require conservation treatment, or require flattening should be left in rolls. Substitute rubber bands or other fasteners and secure with cotton string ties. Rolled drawings should either be wrapped in archival paper or placed in appropriate archival tubing. All enclosures should be labeled with the collection number, the name of the structure depicted, and the number of drawings found in the enclosure. See the "Oversized and Irregularly Shaped Items" section below for additional guidance on housing.

Artwork

• Artwork should be stored face-up in appropriate sized archival boxes, or, if oversized, hung in L2 storage or wrapped. Paintings, drawings, and prints should not be removed from original (period) frames. Do not sleeve original works of art in Mylar sleeves (in particular, pastels, pencil, or charcoal works), as sleeving may cause damage. See the "Oversized and Irregularly Shaped Items" section below for additional guidance on housing.

Audio-visual materials

• All audio and audiovisual items that have not yet been surveyed as part of the Center's AV survey (surveyed items have a "WPC AV Survey" barcode) should be flagged for inclusion in a future installment of the survey. The survey and spreadsheet will help to determine preservation, conservation, and reformatting priorities for the Center's audio and audiovisual holdings. Please see the Logging A/V Items section for AV logging instructions. 
• Keep AV material with the series they are part of, however, when possible, store in a separate container or folder. When separating an AV item from a folder, remember to leave a placeholder for the item in the location from which it was removed. The placeholder is a sheet of paper labeled, "[Description for item] removed to [description of location]." Label the original folder "(A)" and the new folder (or location) "(B)".
• AV items can usually remain in their original packaging. Where necessary, alternative housing can be ordered or created. Please use the following guidelines when storing AV items:
  • All should be wound (not too tightly or loosely). Loose ends may be secured with paper tape (for magnetic audio and video tape) or Spliceit tape (for film).
  • Nearly all audiovisual materials should be stored vertically, regardless of format type. There are some exceptions:
  • Film stored on a core (instead of a reel) should be stored horizontally. 
  • Lacquer discs with glass substrate should be stored horizontally.
  • Any discs that are cracked (for example, shellac discs) should be stored horizontally.
  • If the item is loose (not stored in a box or canister), you should either order a canister (if budget permits) or wrap in a buffered paper 4-flap enclosure. Consult with the Collections Services Archivist to determine the best option. The item should then be stored in a separate folder.
  • If the reel or canister is too tall to fit in a records center carton, it should either be stored in a tall legal-size document box, or flat.
  • These should be interleaved with buffered paper and supported between a stiff material such as card stock, to prevent bending. All paperclips should be removed.
  • These should be removed from their folders and wrapped in buffered paper enclosures (such as an envelope or 4-flap). 
  • Items should then be placed in a separate folder, with enough space so that the surrounding materials do not put pressure on the belts.  Cardboard spacers can be used to create a secure space within an existing records center carton or box. The goal is to prevent future creasing or tearing.
  • Do not attempt to flatten Dictaphone belts that are already heavily creased, as this can cause them to tear or crack.
  • If the belts are not creased (unlikely), they should be stored on a paper core.
  • All paperclips should be removed.
  • Magnetic Tape and Film:
  • Audographs:
  • Dictaphone Belts:
  • Small formats (such as audio-cassettes or micro-cassettes) should be removed from their folders and stored in a small box, to prevent inadvertent damage. If recordings are loose, they should be wrapped in buffered paper. All information typically recorded on a folder should be written on a divider made of acid-free paper, to be placed in front of the item. Please see the below section on housing oddly sized items for further information.

Binders and Bound Volumes

• Store flat or spine-side down with support so that volumes do not slump. Put “dirty” volumes or volumes with red rot inside separate folders or wrap in archival paper to ensure shed does not hurt adjacent records.
• If the volume is sturdy but too large to fit inside a folder, you may place the folder between the volume's pages.     
• Scrapbooks should also be stored flat. If pages are loose or binding is missing, secure with cotton ties.

Cloth-covered Items

• Should be put inside individual file folders if adjacent to items in poor condition. 

Electronic media: Flash Drives, Zip Discs, Floppy Discs, CDs, and DVDs

• Make sure that all electronic media is logged on the Electronic Media spreadsheet.Always indicate the presence of digital formats in the finding aid and state what the maximum storage capacity of the media is in the internal notes column of the folder listing template. If the media seems like it is in good condition (not warped, melted, etc.), use the FRED to image and size all files on the electronic media. Once copied, generally ascertain contents and make notes as possible in the scope and content note column of the folder listing template. If there are just a few files in common file formats, and they can be printed, do so. Do not attempt to print statistical information, data sets, or hundreds of documents.
  

Folded Documents and Items in Envelopes

• Records should be unfolded and removed from envelopes when practical, and when doing so will not hurt the record. 
• If the collection has a large number of folded documents, but the content can be generalized, leave folded and make a note in the “internal notes” column of the listing spreadsheet.
• Sealed envelopes should be opened, and the contents unfolded. and maintained alongside the envelope. Retain envelopes, unless they are blank. Insert a piece of printer paper in front of the opened envelope and contents, stating "The following envelope was opened as a part of processing, YYYY Month DD." Make a note in the "scope and content" field of the listing spreadsheet, indicating the envelope and the date it was opened.
• Newspapers/newsclippings do not need to be unfolded and removed to oversized box storage.
  
  

Framed Items

• Remove photographs, certificates, and other items from frames unless the frame and the record constitute a unique object unto itself. Most items can be unframed for easier storage, and the frames discarded. Be careful discarding glass. Always wrap and leave a note on or by the garbage can you are putting glass in.

Slides

• Depending on the number of slides, they should be sleeved and kept in the folder in which they were found (if a small number), or boxed in small, slide sized boxes. Label text from slide boxes should be transcribed onto acid-free dividers which accompany slide boxes and placed between groups of slides as appropriate. Please see the above section on housing oddly-sized items for further information.
• Glass slides should be stored vertically, either in boxes if there are a large number or in folders. If broken, make a four-flap sleeve out of folder stock to hold the broken slide together, and then place vertically within a folder or box.

Photographs, Negatives, Film, Transparencies

• Keep photographs in the folders in which they are found. Don’t sleeve or interleave large groups of photographs. Reserve sleeving or interleaving with unbuffered paper specifically for the occasional photograph mixed in with textual records. 
  
• Do not remove photographs for the purposes of creating a separate series. The Center does not put photograph counts on folders. 
  
• Panoramas should be filed in the Center’s flat files.  Transparencies should be rehoused in boxes as necessary.
• To determine types of film, negatives, and photographs, see Graphic Atlas's comparative website.
• Negatives can be identified via edge printing and notches cut into the side of the materials. For more information about identifying and dating acetate film materials through edge printing and notches, see David G. Horvath's Acetate Negative Survey.
• Nitrate film or negatives should be stored separately from other film stock, where possible. If this is impossible, they should be placed in separate buffered paper sleeves.
• Whenever you identify or suspect nitrate film or negatives, you should make a note in the "Internal Notes" column of the folder listing spreadsheet.
• Where negatives and photographs are stored in the same folder, you should interleave between the two formats or sleeve the negatives in buffered paper.
• For guidance regarding film preservation see FilmCare.org.
  

Objects

• Consult with the Manager, Curation and Stewardship, Anatomy and Artifact Collections if there are objects (microscopes, biological samples, medical equipment, etc.) in the collection that may be better suited to a museum environment. Objects transferred should be documented using the Internal Transfer Form (consult CSA). Additionally, processors should record information about transfer in the finding aid, employing the <processinfo> and <separatedmaterial> tags. 
• If inappropriate for Anatomy and Artifact accession, maintain as a group to the extent possible and describe in finding aid. 
• Any protein-based or vegetable-based materials should be wrapped in unbuffered paper or tissue. This includes silk, wool, cotton, leather, animal/human specimens.