Stabilizing Special Collections for High-Density Storage

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

Rolled Drawings

CHALLENGES

• Drawings in these unprocessed collections were tightly rolled in original acidic cardboard tubes, paper wrappers, or in open boxes with no support
• Many rolls incurred damage from adjacent rolls and poor-fitting containers
• Incompatible materials were often wrapped in the same roll (diazotypes with photostats and blueprints)

SOLUTIONS

For high priority collections:

• Each roll of materials was separated by type and divided into four rolls (staff were carefully trained before the project began to recognize original drawings, photo reproductions, and a range of media)
• Each roll was wrapped around a central roll of thick polyester, then wrapped with an outer polyester sheet larger than the drawings and tied with cotton tape at intervals
• Rolls were then housed in a large box that was separated into four sections to save space and retain the original context of the drawings Medium-density, closed-cell polyethylene foam squares were placed at each end of the box for additional protection

For collections needing less customized housing:

• Drawings were unrolled, straightened and then wrapped with an outer sheet of polyester, tied with cotton twill tape at intervals
• Rolls were then placed in standard size single-roll boxes outfitted with medium-density, closed-cell polyethylene foam with an incised circle for support
• Polyethylene foam squares were placed at each end of the box

(Click on image below to see larger image)

Left: Architectural drawings in their original containers Center: Architectural drawings being rolled between sheets of polyester. Right: Rolled architectural drawings housed in a multi-roll storage box.
Above: Rolled architectural drawings in a single-roll box.