Material |
Priority |
Handling Precautions |
Packing Method |
Drying Method |
Books |
Books & pamphlets |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Do not open or close, do not separate covers. |
Separate with freezer paper, pack spine down in milk crate or cardboard box 1 layer deep. |
Air, vacuum, or freeze dry. |
Leather & vellum bindings |
Immediately dry; or freeze if many books. |
Do not open or close, do not separate covers. |
Separate with freezer paper, pack spine down in milk crate or cardboard box 1 layer deep. |
Air dry. |
Books & periodicals with coated papers |
Immediately freeze or dry. |
Do not open or close, do not separate covers. |
Keep wet; pack spine down in containers lined with garbage bags. |
Freeze drying preferred. Air dry by fanning pages and interleaving. |
Black & White Prints |
Albumen prints |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Do not touch binder with bare hands. |
Interleave between groups of photographs. |
Air dry; thaw & air dry. |
Matte & glossy collodion prints |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Avoid abrasion. Do not touch binder with bare hands. |
|
Air dry; thaw & air dry; or freeze dry. |
Silver gelatin printing out & developing out papers |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Do not touch emulsion with bare hands. |
Keep wet. Pack in plastic bags inside boxes. |
Order of preference:
1) Air dry, 2) thaw and air dry, 3) freeze dry.
Do not vacuum dry. |
Carbon prints & Woodburytypes |
Immediately freeze or dry. |
Handle carefully - swelling of binder. |
Horizontally. |
Air dry or thaw & air dry. |
Photomechanical prints
(i.e., collotypes, photogravures)
Cyanotypes |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Do not separate single sheets. |
Interleave every 2" and pack in boxes or crates. |
Air dry or freeze dry. |
Color Photographs |
Dye transfer prints |
Package to prevent damage - recovery rate is poor. Immediately dry. |
Do not touch emulsion. |
Transport horizontally. |
Air dry face up. |
Chromogenic prints & negatives |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Do not touch binder with bare hands. |
Keep wet. Pack in plastic bags inside boxes. |
Order of preference:
1) Air dry, 2) thaw & air dry, 3) freeze dry.
Do not vacuum dry. |
Color Transparencies |
Additive color transparencies (most are glass)
Autochromes, Agfacolor, Dufaycolor |
Package to prevent damage - recovery rate is very poor.
Immediately dry. |
Handle with care - loose binding tapes & glass. |
Horizontally in a padded container. |
Air dry. Never Freeze |
Chromogenic color transparencies
Mounted color slides & sheet films |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Handle by mounts or edges. |
Keep wet. Pack in plastic bags inside box. |
Order of preference:
1) Air dry in mounts if possible, 2) thaw & air dry, 3) freeze dry.
Do not vacuum dry. |
Cased Photographs |
Ambrotypes
Pannotypes |
Recovery rate is low.
Immediately dry. |
Handle with care - glass supports & extremely fragile binder. |
Horizontally in a padded container. |
Air dry face up. Never freeze. |
Daguerreotypes |
Immediately dry. |
Handle with care - fragile surface, cover glass. |
Horizontally in a padded container. |
Air dry face up.
Never freeze. |
Tintypes |
Immediately dry. |
Handle with care - fragile binder. |
Horizontally. |
Air dry. Never freeze. |
Computer Media |
Tapes |
Immediately rinse off tapes soaked by dirty water. Dry within 48 hours if paper boxes & labels; otherwise, tapes can stay wet for several days.
Do not freeze. |
Do not touch magnetic media with bare hands.
Handle open reel tapes by hubs or reel. |
Keep tapes wet in plastic bags.
Pack vertically in plastic crate or tub. |
Air dry or test vacuum drying without heat. |
Floppy Disks |
Immediately pack.
Do not freeze. |
Do not touch disk surface with bare hands. |
Keep wet. Pack vertically in plastic bags or tubs of cold water. |
Air dry. |
Compact Discs & CD ROMs |
|
Immediately dry discs.
Dry paper enclosures within 48 hours. |
Do not scratch the surface. |
Pack vertically in crates or cardboard cartons. |
Air dry. |
Maps & Plans |
Stable media |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Use extra caution if folded or rolled. |
Pack in map drawers, bread trays, flat boxes, on heavy cardboard or poly covered plywood. |
Air or freeze dry. |
Soluble media
Maps & plans by photoreproductive processes
Hand colored maps |
Immediately freeze or dry. |
Do not blot. |
Interleave between folders and pack as above. |
Air or freeze dry. |
Drafting linens |
Immediately freeze or dry. |
Avoid pressure - inks can smear away. |
Pack like maps in containers lined with plastic. |
|
Maps on coated papers |
Immediately freeze or dry. |
|
Pack like maps in containers lined with plastic. |
Freeze drying preferred. |
Microforms |
Microfilm rolls |
Rewash & dry within 48 hours. |
Do not remove from boxes; hold carton together with rubber bands. |
Keep wet. Pack (in blocks of 5) in a cardboard box lined with garbage bags. |
Arrange with a microfilm processor to rewash and dry. |
Aperture cards |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
|
Keep wet. Pack in plastic bags inside boxes. |
Air dry, or thaw & air dry. |
Jacketed microfilm |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
|
Keep wet. Pack in plastic bags inside pail or box. |
Air dry, or freeze, thaw and air dry. |
Diazo & vesicular microfiche |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
|
Interleave between envelopes & pack in milk crates or cartons. |
Air dry, or freeze, thaw & air dry. |
Motion Pictures |
|
Rewash & dry within 48 hours. |
|
Keep wet. Pack in plastic pails or cardboard cartons lined with garbage bags. |
Arrange with a film processor to rewash & dry. |
Negatives |
Wet collodion glass plates |
Recovery rate is low.
Immediately dry. |
Handle with care - glass supports and fragile binder. |
Horizontally in a padded container. |
Air dry face up.
Never freeze. |
Gelatin dry plate glass negatives |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Handle with care - glass. |
Keep wet. Pack in plastic bags, vertically in a padded container. |
Air drying preferred; or thaw & air dry; freeze dry. |
Deteriorated nitrates with soluble binders |
Immediately freeze or dry.
Recovery rate may be low. |
Do not blot. |
Horizontally. |
Air dry; thaw & air dry; test freeze drying. |
Deteriorated acetates |
Immediately freeze or dry.
Recovery rate is low. |
Handle carefully - swelling of emulsion. |
Horizontally. |
Air dry; thaw & air dry; test freeze drying. |
Polyester based film, nitrates & acetates in good condition |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Do not touch emulsion with bare hands. |
Keep wet. Pack in small plastic bags inside boxes. |
Order of preference:
1) Air dry, 2) thaw & air dry, 3) freeze dry.
Do not vacuum dry. |
Paper Documents & Manuscripts |
Stable media |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Don't separate single sheets. |
Interleave between folders & pack in milk crates or cartons. |
Air, vacuum, or freeze dry. |
Soluble inks
(felt pens, colored pens, ball point pens) |
Immediately freeze or dry. |
Do not blot. |
Interleave between folders & pack in milk crates or cartons. |
Air or freeze dry. |
Parchment & Vellum Manuscripts |
|
Immediately freeze or dry. |
|
Interleave between folders. Pack oversize materials flat. |
Air or freeze dry. Do not freeze dry gilded or illuminated manuscripts. |
Paintings |
|
Immediately dry. |
Drain and carry horizontally. |
Face up without touching paint layer |
Air dry. See Instructions. |
Sound and Video Recordings |
Sound & Videotapes |
Immediately rinse off tapes soaked by dirty water.
Dry within 48 hours if paper boxes and labels; otherwise, tapes can stay wet for several days.
Do not freeze. |
Do not touch magnetic media with bare hands. |
Keep tapes wet in plastic bags.
Pack vertically in plastic crate or tub. |
Air dry or test vacuum drying without heat. |
Shellac & Acetate Discs |
Immediately dry.
Dry enclosures within 48 hours. |
Discs are very fragile.
Hold discs by their edges.
Avoid shocks. |
Pack vertically in ethafoam-padded crates. |
Air dry, preferably with a record cleaning machine. |
Vinyl Discs |
Dry within 48 hours.
Freezing is untested; if it is necessary, freeze at above -18° C (0° F).
Freeze or dry enclosures within 48 hours. |
Hold discs by their edges.
Avoid shocks. |
Pack vertically in ethafoam-padded crates. |
Air dry, preferably with a record cleaning machine. |
Transparencies |
Lantern slides, silver gelatin |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Handle with care - loose binding tapes & glass. |
Vertically in a padded container. |
Air drying preferred; thaw, & air dry. |
Works of Art on Paper |
Prints & drawings with stable media |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Don't separate single sheets. |
Interleave between folders & pack in milk crates or cartons. |
Air, vacuum, or freeze dry. |
Oversize prints & drawings |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Use extra caution if folded or rolled. |
Pack in map drawers, bread trays, flat boxes, on heavy cardboard or poly covered plywood. |
Damp - air or freeze dry.
Wet - freeze drying preferred. |
Framed prints & drawings |
Freeze or dry within 48 hours. |
Handle with care - glass. |
Unframe if possible, then pack as above. |
Once unframed & unmatted, air or freeze dry. |
Soluble Media
Watercolors, soluble inks, & hand colored prints |
Immediately freeze or dry. |
Do not blot. |
Interleave between folders & pack in milk crates or cartons. |
Air or freeze dry. |
Coated papers
(i.e., posters) |
Immediately freeze or dry. |
|
Keep wet in containers lined with garbage bags. |
Freeze drying preferred. Air dry by separating pages & interleaving. |