MATERIAL

PRIORITY

HANDLING PRECAUTIONS

PACKING METHOD

DRYING METHOD

PAPER

Manuscripts, documents and small drawings

Freeze or dry within 48 hours

Don't seperate single sheets

Interleave between folders and pack in milk crates or cartons

Air, vacuum, or freeze dry

Watercolors, and other soluble media

Immediately freeze or dry

Do not blot

Interleave between folders and pack in milk crates or cartons

Air or freeze dry

Maps; oversize prints and manuscripts

Freeze or dry witin 48 hours

Don't separate single sheets

Pack in map drawers, bread trays, flat boxes or poly covered plywood

Air, vacuum, or freeze dry

Coated papers

Immediately pack, then freeze or dry within 48 hours

Keep wet in containers lined with garbage bags

Freeze dry only

Framed prints and drawings

Freeze or dry withing 48 hours

Unframe if possible, then pack as for manuscripts or maps above

Once unframed and unmatted, air or freeze dry

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BOOKS

Books and pamphlets

Freeze or dry within 48 hours

Do not open or close, do not separate covers

Separate books with freezer paper, pack spine down in milk crate or cardboard box

Air, vacuum, or freeze dry

Leather and vellum bindings

Immediately freeze

Do not open or close, do not separate covers

Separate books with freezer paper, pack spine down in milk crate or cardboard box

Air or freeze dry

Books and periodicals with coated papers

Immediately pack. Freeze or dry within 48 hours

Do not open or close, do not separate covers

Separate books with freezer paper, pack spine down in milk crate or cardboard box

Freeze dry only

PAINTINGS

Paintings

Immediately dry

Drain and carry horizontally

Face up without touching paint layer

Air dry.

SOUND & VIDEO RECORDINGS

Discs

Dry within 48 hours. Freezeing is untested; if it is necessary freeze at above 0 F
(-18C)

Hold disks by thier edges. Avoid shocks

Pack vertically in ethafoampadded plastic crates

Air dry.

Sound and Videotapes

Freezing is untested; if necessary, freeze at above -10C

Pack vertically into plastic crates or cardboard cartons. Don't put any heavy weight on the sides of reels or cassettes

Air dry.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Wet Collodion photographs (ambrotypes, tintypes, pannotypes, wet collodion negatives)

Recovery rate is low. Immediately dry

Handle with care -- glass supports or glazing

Horizontally in padded container

Air dry face up. Never freeze

Daguerreotypes

Immediately dry

Handle with care -- usually cased behind glass

Horizontally in padded container

Air dry face up.

Nitrates with soluble emulsions

Immediately freeze

Do not blot

Air dry; test freeze drying

Prints, negatives, and transparentcies

Freeze or dry within 72 hours.
Salvage order:
1) color photographs, 2) prints,
3) negatives and transparencies

Do not touch emulsions with bare hands

Keep in cold water. Pack in containers lined with garbage bags

Order of preference: 1) air dry
2)thaw and air dry
3) freeze dry. Do not vacuum dry

Motion Pictures

Rewash and dry within 72 hours

Fill film cans with cold water and pack in plastic pails or cardboard cartons lined with garbage bags

Arrange for film processor to rewash and dry

Microfilm rolls

Rewash and dry within 72 hours

Do not remove from boxes; hold cartons together with rubber bands

Fill boxes with water, and pack (in blocks of 5) ina cardboard box lined with garbage bags

Arrange for microfilm processor to rewash and dry

Aperture cards

Freeze or dry within 48 hours

Keep wet inside a container lined with garbage bags

Air dry

Jacketed Microfilm

Freeze or dry within 72 hours

Keep wet inside a container lined with garbage bags

Air dry

Diazo fiche

Last

In drawers or cartons

Air dry

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