DOCUMENT PROTECTORS. AN INDEX OF SPECS? WHAT IS GOOD WHAT IS EVIL?

[Ed Sharpe]

Has anyone compiled   or  found  a list  of various document protector sheets  as to types mfrs. and what is good and what is bad?

Since we handle many of our collections  heavily  it is nice to have them protcted.

this  item below  clains to  be ‘archivial’ and non stick etc etc etc… but what is is made from?

http://www2.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?prodid=11528215&whse=BD_827&topnav=bd

Thanks in advance  –   Ed Sharpe Archvist  for SMECC  http://www.smecc.org
Arizona’s Communications and Computation Museum

[Helena Jaeschke]

In the UK we are fortunate to have a company providing excellent quality polyester film, which is used as ready made sleeves, as 2-sided sleeves or as roll film cut and heat-welded to shape to form enclosures.  Many museums and archives use www.secol.co.uk/‎  products to house documents and photographs safely and protect them during handling.

Obviously you need to be sure that the surface is stable enough to be placed next to a smooth surface such as polyester. Items where the ink or emulsion is powdery or loose would not be suitable for storage in a material which could carry a static electricity charge. For those an acid-free paper folder would usually be used and unsupervised handling would not be allowed.

University Products  provides archival quality polyester products in the US http://www.universityproducts.com

In the UK in the past we had problems with office supply companies providing clear enclosures which were made of PVC, not polyester. They were readily dete4ctable by the heavier weight of the film and its slightly rubbery feel. A freshly opened package had a distinctive odor as well.

Hope this helps.

[Jane Dalley]

Hi Ed,

There is quite a bit of information out there.  Here in Canada the Canadian Council of Archives created a short bulletin on archival enclosures for paper records which can be downloaded at http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/Paper_Records.pdf .  It includes number references for various national/international standards  Since it’s about 10 years old, I would check for updates to the standards quoted.

The technical section of the Conservation Resources International website (http://www.conservationresources.com/Main/S%20CATALOG/TechnicalInfo.htm) has a wealth of information on specifications and background info on why they’re important.

Hope this helps,

Jane

[Sharon F. Corey]

Isn’t this forum great with all the different ‘takes’ on the posts! I took Ed’s post to say that he is searching for a document that lists all the various types/kinds of sheet protectors (names/manufacturers/product numbers) and their product descriptions/details. I searched through five pages of a Google search yesterday and came up with all kinds of great information that I had never found before. The closest that I got to the information sought was this:
http://dotpattern.com/supplies/storage-product-guide.html

I am sure there was a discussion on this subject in the first course of Caring for Yesterday’s Treasures – Today, Collections Care Basics: Where Do I Begin? in Webinar 3: Storage and Handling with Donia Conn. If you did not participate in this course Ed you can still view the webinars from the entire course as well as access all the great resources and handouts at:
http://www.connectingtocollections.org/courses/collections-care-basics/

[Sharon F. Corey]

I completely forgot to mention Ed that your idea would be a great document to have. On the Avery website the product description for Avery® Diamond Clear Heavyweight Sheet Protectors 74400, Acid Free, Box of 200
Product Number: 74400 is this:
Heavyweight
Diamond Clear
Polypropylene
Archival Safe
Diamond Clear
3-Hole Punched
Top-Load
8-1/2″ x 11″

[Abigail Kabaker]

On this same topic, would one need to be wary of recycled polypropylene products? I believe  that some of the normal office store polypropylene sleeves are made from recycled materials. Would this affect the archival safe qualities we attribute to the material?

Sharon:

That dotpattern website is fantastic. I finally have a way to identify  the sleeves that were purchased and used before I started working here. On some of them, the only identifiers are that recycling code.

It also makes me feel much better about using the (cheaper than mylar) pp products.

[Anonymous]

I would hesitate to use recycled products unless you could verify that all contaminants had been removed.

The Library of Congress provides a list of storage materials they use along with the specifications for those materials.  http://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/specifications/index.html 

The NEDCC preservation leaflets are for providing basic standards and guidelines.  http://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-leaflets/overview

A list of suppliers can be found at http://cool.conservation-us.org/misc/commercial.html#supplier

 

[Beth]

An archival supply  catalog (Gaylord or  University Archival Products or Hollinger) should have what you need.

[Ed Sharpe]

Thanks  folks  I have just gotten  back to look at the answers!  Thanks et me study this…

 

Ed

[Ed Sharpe]

http://dotpattern.com/supplies/storage-product-guide.html

has somme  good info.. but   yes  … was  looking  for  a chart  with  all spcecs  rows and coll.  mfr, type,  part #, etc etc   Thansk  Ed#

[Author]

Posts