Stoneburner Bookbinding & Preservation

Time to Organize!

Each month, in addition to custom orders, I try to work on one project that is just for fun or meant to challenge me. This month I decided my project would be to organize and preserve my personal archives. The picture below is (shamefully) the current state of the paper-based items in my life that I want to keep for ever and ever. I'm not quite sure how it all ended up in the worst possible containers - plastic, metal and wood. But that ends this month.

The first step is to survey everything and inventory what I have so I can order the supplies I will need. I will be working on this step over the next week and will update you next Monday night. In the interim, check in on my Facebook page where I will be participating in Throwback Thursdays and showing some gems from my collection.

Preserving Family Papers

Interested in learning how to preserve your family's paper documents? Stop by the State Library of Massachusetts (room 442) this Thursday, April 28 at noon to learn about simple preservation techniques and supplies you can use to help protect your historical records. I'll have lots of handouts, product catalogs and examples of storage materials for you to examine. This program is free and open to the public and given in celebration of National Preservation Week, April 24 -30.

Preservation of Photographs - Part Two

Last week I showed you the "before" images a small collection of photographs that I preserved this winter. Now I'm happy to bring you the "after" images. First up, a picture showing both the old housing (a plastic resealable bag) and the new housing (paper envelopes that have passed the photographic activity test).

Here's how the two types of enclosures stack up.

Plastic Bag - Positive Attributes

• Keeps all of the photographs together

Plastic Bag - Negative Attributes

• Depending on storage conditions, storing multiple photographs in a single bag can cause images to stick to one another
• Allows light to reach photographs and potentially cause fading of the images
• Not all plastics are created equal - some can break down over time and cause damage to items held within
• Sealed bags do not allow for photographs to "breathe" - with multiple photograph processes from various time periods all in one bag, chemical reactions could take place and degrade images

Paper Envelopes - Positive Attributes

• Allows for each photograph to be stored separately, decreasing the risk of the emulsion from one image sticking to another photograph
• Allows for each image to be identified without having to write on the photograph
• Blocks light from reaching the image and decreases the risk of fading
• Preservation-quality paper envelopes can be certified to have passed the PAT test
• Paper allows for photographs to "breathe" - any chemicals that release over time can dissipate

Paper Envelopes - Negative Attributes

• Opaque envelopes do not allow for easy viewing of the image. Repeated removal of the photograph from the envelope increases the risks of damage due to handling.
• Paper envelopes should be purchased from a reputable manufacturer, and thus can be more expensive than storage materials available at office and craft supply stores.

Once the photographs were stored in new labeled envelopes the were put inside of an acid-free document box. Since the collection was small, items were stacked on top of each other and another small album was included in the box. For good measure, I kept the original zip-top bag. The document box will provide further protection from light, will buffer the items from temperature and humidity fluctuations and will make it easier to move these collections.

Vintage Postcards

Recently I've been thinking about ephemera collections and my small postcard collection. When I was five my family went to Florida by car and along the way I bought postcards as souvenirs because they were cheap and being a rising first-grader, my cash flow was limited. A few years later I somehow got involved in a chain letter/postcard exchange with other kids around the country and my collection grew a bit bigger. Slowly but surely I gathered more postcards here and there, placing them in plastic sleeves in a three-ring binder.

Fountain of Youth, St. Augustine, Florida. Circa 1986 

For a few years I lost track of the collection, thinking they had mistakenly been thrown out during a move, but then a few years ago my mom called to let me know that she had them. I was so happy to see my favorites again and to add to the collection once again. The binder was gone, so they needed a new home. I found a small box that had held note cards and put all that were small enough into it. Now that it's been a few years the collection needs a bigger and more preservationally sound long-term home. Over the next few months I hope to share images from both my postcard collection and its preservation. Stay tuned for fun images and weird tales of provenance.

From the reverse of the above postcard. Most likely I was labeling this postcard to distinguish it from any my brother may have bought. Or maybe I was just excited to be able to print my own name.

Preservation of Photographs - Part One

Several months ago a family member came across several boxes of photographs, photo albums and scrapbooks. When I heard about the find I was very interested in seeing the collection and determining whether there was anything I could do to help keep these mementos around for future generations.

Albums, Scrapbooks and Loose Photographs

After looking over the collection, I determined the best solution was to process the items in phases, beginning with removing obvious problems such as plastics and tape, and placing all of the items into preservationally sound boxes. These boxes provide structure to the brittle paper in the albums, protect the items from dust and light, and buffer from temperature and humidity changes.

Loose Photographs, Previously Stored in a Plastic Bag

One section of photographs had obviously been part of an album at some point, but the tape that was originally holding the photographs to the page had deteriorated. In the image above you can see the many yellow pieces of tape on the corners of photographs. These were carefully removed and below is an image of the worktable after I was finished.

Check back next week for part two to see what these photos look like after preservation.