Building drawings from 1902

[John Naple]

We have some beautiful plans and drawings of our 1902 Carnegie Library. Some are rolled and some are flat. Does everyone agree that flat is the best storage position, and rolled is second best?

[Brittany Osborne Shunk]

John – I have always learned that maps and other such documents should be stored the way they have been stored for years (or the way you received the document). For example, if you have a map that has been rolled for 15 years you should keep it stored that way. If you do this instead of flattening the document, it will avoid any unnecessary cracks and deterioration as it becomes brittle overtime. Same goes the opposite way. Hope that helps!

[Helen]

If you choose to store them flat, you can avoid cracking the document by humidifying it before flattening. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Here’s a link to the NPS Conservogram on humidifying documents before flattening them. http://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/13-02.pdf

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