Stabilizing Special Collections for High-Density Storage

Introduction & Planning | Globes | Objects | Rolled Drawings | Drawings and Prints
Bound Volumes | Archives and Manuscript Collections

Objects

CHALLENGES

• Objects included a large variety of formats and materials, many of which are not usually found in library collections (textiles, sealed food containers, etc.)
• Many collection items were incurring damage from original loose, acidic containers
• Most objects did not fit well in commercially available boxes and required custom supports to keep them safe during transport to and from the Modules

SOLUTIONS

• Large textiles (flags, banners) were rolled onto supportive tubes lined with unbleached cotton muslin and tied with cotton-twill tape
• Smaller textiles (t-shirts, bandanas) were housed individually in four-flap boxes with each item wrapped around cotton batting covered with unbuffered tissue
• Small objects (architectural figures, buttons) were placed in divided boxes padded with Volara® foam
• Especially fragile items were housed in boxes fitted with custom supports carved from Ethafoam® or made from folded corrugated board lined with Volara® foam or batting and muslin
• Flatter items (paper fans) were housed in custom sink mats made from Volara® foam cut to the object shape and adhered to a sheet of mat board or corrugated board fitted with a polyester overlay; smaller flat items (coins) were placed in sheets of polyester with custom pockets

(Click on image below to see larger image)

Left: Custom sink mat using Volara® foam and polyester overlay. Center: Textile object (t-shirt) folded over a cushion of batting that is wrapped with tissue and housed in a custom four-flap box. Right: Ceramic vase cushioned with Ethafoam® and Volara® inside a custom box.
Left: Preservation Technician Tiffany Welch folds a bandana. Center: Housing for architectural models. Right: Architectural models before housing.
Above: Pair of wooden clogs surrounded by foam in a custom box.