Handling Archival Materials - smith-special-collections/sc-documentation GitHub Wiki

  • Make sure that your hands are clean, there is no food/drink around, and that you never use pens.
  • If you are handling photos and metal objects, you should wear gloves.
  • Do not lean on (or drape computer cords over) items.
  • Avoid touching fragile surfaces like flaking ink.
  • Be very cautious and careful attempting to unfurl rolled items. Unfurling items can cause creases and tear paper, especially with rolled photographic prints.
  • Use caution when unfolding items. Use two hands to unfold one crease at a time.
  • Turn book pages by lifting from undamaged areas; this usually means avoiding the corners.
  • For AV and digital materials, touch the data as little as possible, i.e. do not touch magnetic tape, film reels, or the insides of any broken disks or tape.
  • Do not place any materials on the floor, even if it is in boxes. This is especially important at Smith, since we are in a flood plain and we have had water on our floors in the past. However, every archive wants to avoid material getting kicked, stepped on, or placed in wet or dirty places.
  • If you are handling oversize or heavy materials, ask for help carrying them to avoid dropping or damaging materials.

Always follow these rules, but also be aware that with fragile historical materials it is unavoidable that at some point you will tear or break something. Be cautious, but also understand that it is not a huge issue if something gets damaged in the course of processing. Archivists are always balancing the preservation risks of damaging materials and the rewards of providing access to it.

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