You Want Me to Treat WHAT?

Transcription

1 You Want Me to Treat WHAT? Or The Things They Don t Tell You in Library School Or Mama Said There d Be Days Like This Bexx Caswell-Olson November 2, 2016

2 MSS272 Comic Art Ephemera The Problem: Numerous boxes of miscellaneous stuff stored in a huge jumble. Items included: Mugs and glassware (breakable!) Plastic Cups (with soda in them!) Masks (crushable!) Action Figures (lots of small pieces!) Candy Boxes (with candy in them!) Toiletries (yes, really!)

3 MSS272 Comic Art Ephemera Separate out small items that may get lost, breakable items such as glassware, and crushable items such as masks Add pre-made interior trays from Gaylord Archival to existing records boxes to prevent small items from being lost and crushable items from being crushed Trays stack inside records boxes

4 MSS272 Comic Art Ephemera The Problem: Ceramic mugs, glassware, and collectible plastic cups are improperly stored in old boxes Due to improper storage, the items are dusty and dirty (dead bugs!) Many of the collectible plastic cups had not been washed after use and contained soda residue (yes, really!) Items must be able to travel safely to and from our remote storage facility

5 MSS272 Comic Art Ephemera Wash mugs, glasses and cups in deionized water to remove soda residue, dead bugs, and dirt. Rehouse in boxes that will allow for safer storage and travel Wrap fragile items in unbuffered tissue paper

6 MSS272 Comic Art Ephemera Glassware and plastic cups fit nicely into the Specimen Box from Gaylord Archival dividers can be arranged to fit your items! Mugs fit nicely into an Ornament Box from Gaylord Archival dividers are not customizable Easy, affordable solutions!

7 MSS272 Comic Art Ephemera The Problem: Food, food residue, and personal care items may attract pests Liquids may leak and damage nearby items. Soap may melt in warm conditions

8 MSS272 Comic Art Ephemera One item that could not be adequately wash to remove food residue was photographed and then discarded Candy was removed from the packaging and discarded Toiletries were removed from the packaging and discarded. Containers were washed with deionized water

9 Ernest Crosby, His Deathmask The Problem: Improper housing (old cardboard box with miscellaneous tissue paper and plastic bags) Plaster mask is fragile, difficult to handle Item will need to be able to travel safely to/from our remote storage facility

10 Ernest Crosby, His Deathmask Fragile Artifact Box from Gaylord Archival Acid-free and buffered box is easy to assemble Low cost ($16) and low time commitment The drop front and slide out tray allows you to slide artifacts forward for examination without touching the artifact.

11 Ernest Crosby, His Deathmask The mask was stuffed with buffered tissue paper to provide support from behind Corrugated board was added to the back of the tray to allow the item to rest in a manner that caused the least amount of stress The back and bottom of the tray was padded with Volara foam. Additional support was added to the side of the tray to keep the mask from shifting during transport

12 T-Shirts The Problem: A large number of t-shirts in the Comic Art collection had inadequate housing Each shirt was poorly folded and stuffed into an envelope or plastic bag. Some also had boxes that did not fit the item These items did not stand up on the shelf, and had become badly creased and wrinkled

13 T-Shirts Refold each shirt, wrap in unbuffered tissue paper and rehouse in a textile box, shelved flat. The Problem: Shelving the items flat would require moving them to Oversize. The curator was adamant that these items be shelved upright so that they would be stored in the same area as the rest of the collection How do you keep a t-shirt neatly folded and in an upright position?!?!?!

14 T-Shirts The T-Shirt is folded around a piece of corrugated board, covered in Pelon (polyester batting). The padded board prevents sharp creases, while helping the item to stand up straight. The t-shirt is then placed into a Custom Four Flap Wrapper from Archival Products, and secured with a Velcro dot closure. Instructions for how to refold the shirt after use are included.

15 T-Shirts The use of a pre-made enclosure made this project go quickly! The t-shirts can now be shelved like a book!

16 Sculpted Book by Guy Laramée