Information Services Division

Preservation Office

Preservation Advice for Libraries, Historical Societies and Home Collections

Preserving books, newspapers, documents and photographs requires proper storage, proper handling policies and choices about their protection and treatment. Other materials, such as, photographs, videos and sound recordings, and textiles require much the same storage and handling but present special problems and are in categories of their own.

This document just touches the tip of the iceberg on proper care and handling of your books, newspapers, documents, photographs and other materials. We hope this information gives you a place to start. Refer to the other websites sites for more information on these and related topics.

TAKING CARE OF: EN ESPANOL

TAKING CARE OF BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS AND DOCUMENTS
The oldest paper, up to about 1870, was made from rags and is very durable. From about 1870-1990, paper is most likely made with wood fibers and is likely to deteriorate. (Since 1990 a different manufacturing process uses wood fibers but makes paper that ought to be very durable.) Whether made on rag paper or wood pulp paper, the minimum you should do is:

-- Store your materials properly (in a clean room with constant temperature and humidity, or the closest you can achieve, circulate the air and eliminate leaks and other sources of moisture to prevent mold growth and insect infestation)

-- Protect the items from getting wet because this can destroy them. Wet items can get moldy which can present a health hazard. If you have to store some items in the basement, at least be sure to keep them off the floor and away from the walls. (Moisture can seep through the walls.) Mold is less likely to grow when the temperature is on the cool side and the humidity is controlled. Good air circulation helps considerably. You might find that a dehumidifier and a fan are helpful, at least in the summer. These steps, and keeping the area clean, will also help you avoid insect damage.

-- Protect them from light and dirt. Store most books upright and not overhanging the shelf. Store large books, such as atlases, flat, fully supported by a shelf or table. Put the largest books on the bottom and don't pile too many on top of each other. Store newspapers and large documents flat, not folded, in a box made of buffered cardboard that has a top big enough and strong enough to protect the contents from the weight of the box above.

-- Exhibit them only for short periods of time and keep them out of direct light. Exhibiting an object exposes it to light and can be harmful. Alternatively, copy the item and exhibit the copy.

The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) has a publication called "NEDCC offers hints for preserving family collections" at http://www.nedcc.org/leaflets/fmlycol.htm. Look for the information on the proper environment (moderate temperature and relative humidity, etc.). A website for conservators has a section called "Conservation/Preservation Information for the General Public" at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/genpub/ that can lead you to more specific information on a variety of topics.

For even more information, look at the Library of Congress site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/preserv/pubscare.html for their publications on "Preserving Works on Paper", "Preserving Newspapers", "Care, Storage and Handling of Books" and so on. Most of these leaflets end with a recommendation that "Conservation treatment should be referred to a professional paper conservator, since any treatment process can entail risk to both the material and the personnel involved."

Here are several catalogs that offer archival materials you can use to store the documents. The NEDCC homepage lists many other vendors at http://nedcc.org/suppliers/listsup.htm

--Archival Products, Des Moines, IA, 1-800-526-5640, www.archival.com

--Gaylord Archival, 1-800-448-6160, www.gaylord.com and click on Archival Supplies

--Light Impressions, Rochester, NY, 1-800-828-6216, www.lightimpressionsdirect.com

--University Products Archival Quality Materials, Holyoke, MA, 1-800-628-1912, www.universityproducts.com

NOTES ON LEATHER
A conservator may suggest replacement of some leather on the spine with japanese paper colored to match or blend with the remaining leather, complete replacement of the cover with a new cover made of leather, imitation leather or buckram (strong bookbinding cloth). Or, the conservator may be able to restore the original binding.

You may find leather dressings listed in the conservation supplies catalogs. Before you use it, be aware that "The use of leather dressings (neatsfoot oil, lanolin, etc.) was widespread in libraries for many years, but the conservation community now recommends that it be avoided in most cases. Research and experience have shown that leather dressings can have some undesirable side effects." Get advice from a conservator before using leather dressing. (See NEDCC Frequently Asked Questions -- About Preservation. "I have some old leather books with dried and cracked bindings - should I put leather dressing on them?" The Library of Congress offers the same advice at Leather Dressings. In addition, LC recommends "If a leather book has become stiffened through the use of leather dressing, proper handling techniques and support of the book structure will help to ameliorate the problem."

Once a leather binding has deteriorated to the red dusty stage, called red rot, there is nothing that can save the original leather. The best solution here may be to put a polyester dust jacket on the cover to protect you and the adjacent books from getting covered with the red dust. If a leather cover is in the early stages of red rot a proper storage environment can increase its longevity.

MUSTY SMELL IN BOOKS
There are no guarantees and the recommended method takes a long time to work. Try putting odor absorbent material such as baking soda, kitty litter, or plain charcoal briquets in the bottom of a large container. Put a small plastic container inside the larger one, stand up the books and fan open the pages. Put the lid on the large container and wait. Check periodically to see if the job is done. NEDCC answers some "Frequently Asked Questions" at http://www.nedcc.org/welcome/faq.htm#odor, including "How can I remove the musty smell from old books?"

We tried this method once with baking soda and after a month the odor was lessened but still detectable. Be patient. Once the odor is removed or diminished, keep the book in the best environment available. Exposure to moist air can trigger another growth of the mold which may have caused the odor in the first place. Avoid ozone, which is used in commercial operations to remove odor, because it can damage books and paper.

MOLD
The more that is learned about coping with a mold outbreak, the more appreciated is the advice that the best defense is to prevent an outbreak. Do this by controlling the environment where your materials are stored. For books, the recommendation is to keep the relative humidity below 50% and the temperature below 70 degrees Fahrenheit. This is, admittedly difficult and expensive in the average home or office so do the best you can by providing a clean storage space that has no leaking pipes or moisture seeping through a crack and by circulating the air.

Don't store your precious materials in a room with air conditioning, unless you plan to run the AC constantly all summer. If you turn off the AC when not at home, the room gets hot and humid, then you come in, turn on the AC and the room gets cool and dry. Then you leave and the room gets hot and humid again. This constant cycle of hot and humid vs. cool and dry is more damaging than putting the materials in a room that stays hot and humid. The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) has a publication called "NEDCC offers hints for preserving family collections" with more information on the proper environment (moderate temperature and relative humidity, etc.)

If it's too late for defense, look at "Emergency salvage of moldy books and paper" by Beth Lindblom Patkus, an NEDCC leaflet at http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf39.htm.

Then look at Conservation OnLine at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/. This has numerous links to preservation topics. From here look at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/bytopic/mold/ which includes links to articles on the whole picture. Look especially at the articles by Ellen McCrady and Sandra Nyberg.

Here is an overly brief summary of Nyberg's conclusions. Look at the full article for complete information. If mold occurs, even in the proper environment, try this:

--Determine the cause and take steps to eliminate it

--Isolate the materials: put items in sealed plastic bags; quarantine the stacks; if large infestation, restrict access to the room or building

--Modify the environment: lower the relative humidity, run fans, install portable dehumidifiers, turn lights on for as long as possible

--Clean up: wipe off visible mold; clean bindings with ethanol or vacuum with a wet/dry vac; clean shelves, walls, etc. with Lysol, Clorox, X-14 or other mold-killing solutions; then set the books in the sun to dry or run fans

--Monitor: keep watch for several months

(from p.15-16 of "The invasion of the giant spore" by Sandra Nyberg. SOLINET Preservation Program, Leaflet No. 5, 1 Nov. 1987.)

Use extreme caution when handling moldy materials. An ordinary hardware store dust mask won't be adequate protection against toxic mold. It's hard to know when the mold is toxic and requires a high level of caution, or when a low-level remediation effort will be adequate. A person with asthma or allergies should not be working with moldy materials and persons who don't suffer from these conditions can develop a sensitivity if exposed. Conservation professionals wear respirators with HEPA filters. Read the articles by the experts before you decide if you can handle a mold outbreak yourself or if you need professional assistance.

Here are some other links, in no particular order, on the topic of mold and coping with a mold outbreak.

TAKING CARE OF PHOTOGRAPHS
All color photographs fade in just a few years if exposed to light and most will fade within 35 years even if stored in the dark. Black & white photographs are much more durable. NEDCC offers a leaflet called "Care of photographs" at http://www.nedcc.org/leaflets/phocar.htm and has another publication with much more detail and illustrations at "Lesson 7: Care of Photographs," http://www.nedcc.org/p101cs/lesson7.htm#sec1. In addition to the general guidelines given above for books on temperature, humidity, and light, be extra careful when handling photographs. Fingerprints can permanently mar the image.

In brief, put each photo in its own sleeve, whether paper or plastic. Paper enclosures should be made of buffered or acid-free stock and should not be made of kraft paper or glassine. Plastics sleeves can be ok but may trap moisture and damage the image. They should be made of uncoated polyester, polypropylene or polyethylene but watch out for additives to the plastic which may cause unintended harm. Do not use polyvinylchloride (PVC). Avoid "magnetic" photo albums, regular adhesive tapes, paper clips, rubber bands and rubber cement.

One of the things that makes care of photographs complicated is that there have been numerous ways to produce photographs over the years. The cyanotype is one kind of photograph and is so sensitive to light that it will fade in just a few hours in bright light. Find out how to identify your photograph in NEDCC's "Types of Photographs" at http://www.nedcc.org/leaflets/photype.htm

TAKING CARE OF MAGNETIC MEDIA (VIDEOS, MUSIC AND SPOKEN WORD CASSETTES AND REEL TO REEL TAPES)
The life expectancy of magnetic media is ten to thirty years, assuming the playback equipment is still available. (Do you still have a player for your old 8-track cassettes?) In general these items are made of some kind of carrier (plastic or paper) coated with a binder that contains metallic particles. The particles are magnetized to encode the images or sounds. Any of these elements can deteriorate, and usually it is the binder that goes first, becoming sticky.

--Store them upright, on edge, and avoid areas with high temperature, high humidity and where the temp. and humidity fluctuate. Keep the area clean, dust is an enemy of these materials, and keep them away from direct sunlight. Wear cotton gloves when handling reel to reel tapes and don't touch the playing surface of any recording. Keep them away from sources of magnetic fields such as stereo speakers and electric motors. Don't rewind tapes until ready to play them. Clean playback equipment often.

--Write down the who/what/when/where of tapes you made yourself. Consider making a written transcript of the conversation. In ten years those details may otherwise be forgotten.

--Plan to copy tapes you created onto new tapes every ten years or so. Archival storage would require the use of 16mm film or reel to reel tape but this can be expensive and you have to have the playback equipment. (Watch out! Making a copy may be illegal for commercial materials because they may be covered by the copyright laws.)

The Library of Congress has leaflets on "Care, Handling and Storage of Motion Picture Film" and "Record and Tape Care in a Nutshell" at http://lcweb.loc.gov/preserv/careothr.html. The American Institute for Conservation offers "Caring for your home videotape" at http://aic.stanford.edu/treasure/video.html. These provide more details about the storage environment, storage containers and cleaning.

The American Moving Image Association website provides information for archivists, and professional and home filmmakers on film and video storage and reformatting. From AMIA Information & Services click on "Videotape Preservation Fact Sheets" which includes "Reformatting for Preservation: Understanding tape formats and other conversion issues."

TAKING CARING OF TEXTILES
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works offers advice on "Caring for Textiles" at http://aic.stanford.edu/treasure/textiles.html. Briefly, give the same attention as for books, to storing textiles in a clean environment, away from sources of heat and light, using non-damaging storage boxes, cotton sheets, and display frames. Don't use wood, most cardboard or most plastics.

Vacuuming is the primary means of cleaning valuable textiles but each object presents challenges. Use a soft brush to move dust into the nozzle of a vacuum or lay a plastic screen between the nozzle and the textile, lifting the nozzle to move it, rather than dragging it across the fabric.

Textiles can be very fragile. Use appropriate supports when moving textiles and wear clean gloves. If textiles get wet, they may become even more fragile. Separate light from dark colors, rinse off any debris, blot them dry with towels, lay them flat to dry.

Talk to a conservator before repairing, cleaning or mounting a valuable textile. A conservator will advise whether treatment is needed, if the item is strong enough to display, and what treatments to choose.

For more information, the Smithsonian Institution has a leaflet called "How to handle antique textiles and costume" at http://www.si.edu/scmre/takingcare/handletex.htm. The Textile Conservation Center at the American Textile History Museum in Lowell, Mass., (978) 441-1198, http://www.athm.org provides answers to frequently asked questions under "Conservation."

CONSERVATION TREATMENT FOR BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS, DOCUMENTS AND PHOTOGRAPHS
You may want to treat your materials to increase their longevity. Top-of-the-line conservation can be expensive but provides the best protection for valuable items. Depending on the item, a conservator may recommend:

-- Deacidification (removing harmful acids from the paper after first determining whether the paper and ink can withstand treatment)

-- Repair of pages with japanese paper and wheat starch paste (these are specific materials suitable for the job. Regular adhesive tape and even so called archival tapes have disadvantages and can even damage a document)

-- Repair of bindings to reattach covers that are loose or completely separated from the text (may involve replacement of some components of the binding with materials that are strong, durable and blend in with the existing materials)

-- Encapsulation of pages in polyester film (to keep dirt and fingerprints off the paper and to minimize damage during handling)

For photographs, the most economical choice may be creating new prints or negatives.

Deacidifying, repairing and encapsulating are labor intensive and expensive. Depending on your needs and resources, you may want to select only a few important items for these treatments. The premiere conservation centers on the east coast include the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in Andover, MA, (978) 470-1010, http://nedcc.org/ and the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) in Philadelphia, PA, 215-545-0613, http://www.ccaha.org.

If you decide to explore this option, get in touch with the staff at one of the centers or seek a private, professional conservator. NEDCC offers a leaflet called "Choosing and working with a Conservator" at http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf69.htm The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) has a brochure called: Guidelines for Selecting a Conservator at http://aic.stanford.edu/select/ From this site you can also use the "Guide to Conservation Services." This is very specialized and you should look at the Institute's guidelines before asking them for help in finding a conservator. The most important thing to keep in mind is that you don't want someone to harm your materials. Methods that seemed acceptable in the past, such as laminating, are now considered harmful. Look at these sites for background on how to make an informed decision on what to do and who to hire to treat your materials.

We hesitate to name anyone other than the top-of-the line conservators without first cautioning you that there may be people who will give you a slipshod job. True conservators are carefully trained to identify the materials used to make an object (paper, ink, adhesives, etc.) and to recommend the treatment that will cause no harm to the object. Look at the NEDCC and AIC web sites and gain an understanding of what is acceptable and what may be harmful in the long run.

To add to the list of conservators, we looked in the Hartford phone book under "Book binders" and found two listings for companies that may be able to repair books. We urge you to seek more information and recommendations before trusting your valued materials to anyone offering conservation services.

-- Bridgeport National Bindery in Agawam, Ma 800-223-5083 JNoyes@BNBindery.com

-- Tassinari Bros. in Ludlow, Ma 800-891-6886

AT HOME REPAIRS
If you try repairs yourself, ensure that your own materials and procedures will do no harm to your books.

Training is available from the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Look at their workshop calendar at www.nedcc.org . The NEDCC manual describes techniques for surface cleaning, flattening rolled paper, encapsulation in polyester film, making card stock boxes and book shoes. See Preservation of Library & Archival Materials (Andover, Mass. : Northeast Document Conservation Center, 1999) or full text online at www.nedcc.org . Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler describes the proper method for removing rusty staples and dried-on elastic bands, gives great detail about surface cleaning, humidifying and flattening, encapsulating and more for manuscripts. See Preserving Archives and Manuscripts (Chicago, Society of American Archivists, 1993.). We also know of several online publications: A simple book repair manual at http://www.dartmouth.edu/ ~preserve/repair/repairindex.htm from Dartmouth College Libraries Preservation Section and Conservation book repair : a training manual by Artemis BonaDea. (Juneau, Alaska State Library, 1995) http://www.library.state.ak.us/hist/conman.html

CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION Seek training and practice on discarded materials. Even simple repairs with approved materials can damage your valuable items when you lack experience and sufficient knowledge. Conservators receive years of professional training and are able to judge what the appropriate treatment should be. Your watchword should be LESS IS BETTER. If you lack experience, the right materials or adequate training, do the least invasive treatment. For example, consider putting it in a box with un-repaired torn pages and untouched stains rather than trying something that harms the item.

Do not encapsulate something if it is acidic. If you completely enclose and seal the edges, without deacidifying, it may allow the acids to "cook" the paper inside the closed environment. If encapsulating still seems like the best choice for your document, consider deacidification or interleaving with buffered paper or avoid sealing the plastic on all four sides. This last choice will lessen the problem of a closed environment but will increase the possibility of damage through wear and tear.

DEACIDIFICATION
Supply catalogs offer deacidification sprays but consider carefully before trying one. The National Park Service cautions that these sprays won't make a paper less brittle or less discolored and don't permanently remove acidity. They can darken some papers, can change the color of some dyes, inks or papers, can cause staining or cockling and can make some inks run. If you decide to try one, test it first on a less valuable document or in an inconspicuous place. Think also about the ventilation in the room where you are spraying. See "How to preserve acidic wood pulp paper" Conserve-o-gram no. 19/24 at http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-24.pdf for more information.

If you decide against deacidification, consider interleaving a newspaper or document with sheets of buffered paper. The buffered paper will neutralize the acids, delaying deterioration for a time. The buffered paper should be changed periodically because it's effectiveness wears off. This depends on the acid content of the paper and the purity of the air in the storage room (no air pollution.) Supply catalogs offer a pH testing pen that shows when a piece of paper is acidic or neutral. Use one to check the buffered paper periodically. (The pen leaves a visible mark so don’t use it on your valuable documents. Even with other items, make it a practice to always choose an inconspicuous place to make the mark.)

Interleaving is less helpful with a book because you can’t put very many sheets between the pages without damaging the binding. For a book, you are better off interleaving at a few crucial places (for example, next to highly acidic illustrations), wrapping it in buffered paper and putting it in an acid-free box in a controlled environment.

SELF ADHESIVE TAPE
Supply catalogs offer so-called archival self-adhesive tapes. Self-adhesive tapes are frowned on by conservators because they want to be able to reverse any treatment done to a document if further research or evidence on the document show that it is causing harm. Conservators have all spent too many hours removing household adhesive tapes and/or the stains they put on paper to tolerate any self-adhesive tape.

Conservators use wheat- or rice-starch paste and japanese paper to repair tears in most documents. The advantage is that this is strong and reversible. If you have a lot of work to do, it may even be cheaper to use the wheat-starch paste and japanese paper than to purchase a similar quantity of self-adhesive "archival" tape. The disadvantage is that this uses a water-based paste that takes time to dry, so you have to plan ahead. The paste has to dry under weights to prevent buckling or wrinkling the paper. In addition, the moisture can cause water-soluble inks or colors to bleed.

With the self-adhesive tapes, you don't have to plan ahead to do your repairs and you get instant gratification (no waiting for the paste to dry). However, "...pressure-sensitive tapes that are advertised as archival ... are probably more stable than other similar tapes but because their aging properties are not yet known, their use should be avoided for objects of value. ... Commercial products in general should be avoided even if they are reputed to be safe because commercial products are subject to alteration by the manufacturer. This year's non-staining tape may have an adhesive with a different formula next year." See Repairing Paper Artifacts by Sherelyn Ogden, Technical Leaflet, Conservation Procedures, Section 6, Leaflet 3 (Andover, MA : Northeast Document Conservation Center, c1999). http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf63.htm

DISPLAYING AND USING BOOKS, NEWSPAPERS AND DOCUMENTS
If you want to exhibit your materials, look at NEDCC's leaflet by Mary Todd Glaser called "Protecting Paper and Book Collections during Exhibit" at http://www. nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf25.htm . In brief, the leaflet says to exhibit a copy rather than the original item, to keep light levels low and minimize ultraviolet light (natural sunlight and fluorescent light), don't exhibit something of value permanently and, if frame and mats are used, ensure that they won't damage the object. Photographic copies and laser color copies can be almost indistinguishable from the original. Or, you might want the copies "cleaned up" to remove stains or damage.

If framing something for display read "Matting And Framing For Art And Artifacts On Paper" from NEDCC at http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf410.htm. A wooden frame may off-gas and damage your object. An acidic mat can also damage objects. Use metal frames and, if appropriate, acrylic or glass that will filter ultraviolet light. Attach the object to an archival mat with hinges or corner supports.

EFFECT OF LIGHT ON DISPLAYED OBJECTS
The phrase used in conservation circles is that damage from light is "cumulative and irreversible". That means that the same amount of damage occurs after 100 hours of exposure, whether the exposure occurs continuously or if the item is displayed for 10 hours a year for 10 years. High light levels cause damage quickly but low light levels for long periods will eventually cause the same amount of damage. And, the damage is permanent; the ink can't be restored to its original legibility and the paper can't be made stronger.

Ultraviolet is the most damaging but all forms of light cause damage by providing the energy for the chemical reactions that cause deterioration. UV filters do wear out. We believe that 10 years is about standard. If you currently display materials protected with a UV filter, the manufacturer should have provided information on how long the filters would be effective. Establish a maintenance schedule to replace or recoat the glass or filters when needed.

The Northeast Document Conservation Center provides an easily accessible leaflet called "Protection from light damage" by Beth Lindblom Patkus which discusses how to determine how much light is too much for an exhibit area, how to measure light levels and estimate light damage (some items are more sensitive than others) and how to control the light in an exhibit area. (In Preservation of Library & Archival Materials edited by Sherelyn Ogden. Andover, Mass., NEDCC, c1999. http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf24.htm)

Two other organizations have helpful publications on the topic of exhibits.

-- The National Information Standards Organization makes this publication freely available on the web: "Environmental conditions for exhibiting library and archival materials" http://www.niso.org/standards/resources/Z39-79-2001.pdf

-- The ALA Association of College and Research Libraries Rare Book and Manuscripts Section published the "ACRL Guidelines for borrowing and lending special collections materials for exhibition" in June 2001 at http://www.rbms.nd.edu/standards/borrowing_lending.shtml.

If you have security concerns, look at "ACRL Guidelines for the Security of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Other Special Collections" and "ACRL Guidelines Regarding Thefts in Libraries." Go to http://www.rbms.nd.edu/ and click on Standards And Guidelines, then click on the document.

MAKE A COPY OF FRAGILE AND VALUABLE ITEMS
Making a copy of your items allows you to save wear and tear on the original item. Some items may be so fragile they should not be used or may be deteriorating so quickly that they will not survive much longer.

The International Reprographics Association (www.irga.com) lists members with the capacity to scan and print wide-format documents. This would be useful for duplicate copies of maps, posters and newspapers. Double check that their reproduction method won't harm your items. For example, a flat-bed scanner would put less stress on a fragile map or newspaper than a scanner that pulls the item through two rollers.

In addition, a glance through the phone book under "Photographers" included listings for companies that claim to do poster size enlargements. "Copying & Duplicating Serv" has listings for companies that can do full color laser printing, posters and large document production.

Several other companies offer the service of providing a reproduction of entire books. While these reproductions can be used in exhibits, they can also be used for research, thus saving the originals from wear and tear. The Library Binding Institute (http://www.lbibinders.org/) includes members who are "certified library binders," many of whom provide this service. The NEDCC homepage also lists many vendors at http://nedcc.org/suppliers/listsup.htm. Our two regional certified library binders are:

-- Acme Bookbinding, Charlestown, MA, 1-800-242-1821, www.acmebook.com

-- Bridgeport National Bindery, Agawam, MA, 1-800-223-5083, www.BNBindery.com

The factors to watch out for when seeking a duplicate copy include:

-- the duplication process won't damage your original document or the damage is acceptable. For example, it is probably necessary to disbind a book before making a reproduction.

-- the paper meets the permanence standard. (Not all "acid-free" papers meet this standard. A top-notch vendor should be aware of the standard.)

-- the ink or toner should be permanently adhered to the paper.

-- the binding meets the library binding standard which will ensure you a durable book. (A top-notch vendor should already be using this standard.) The binding will not resemble the original unless you make specific (and expensive) special arrangements with the bindery.

COPYRIGHT LAW
At this time, the U.S. copyright law allows libraries to make a replacement copy of items that are copyrighted, under certain circumstances. We are not experts on the copyright law and can't advise you whether your materials are covered by the law or not. The American Library Association (http://www.ala.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Our_Association/Offices/ALA_Washington/Issues2/Copyright1/Copyright.htm) discusses the ways the copyright law applies to libraries. You should read about copyright to ensure that your effort won't violate the law.

EN ESPANOL: RESOURCES IN SPANISH
Huracan Como Sobrevivir la Gran Tormenta: un texto basico para biblioghecas, museos y archivos. By Michael Trinckley.

El Manual De Preservación De Bibliotecas Y Archivos Del Northeast Document Conservation Center. Editado por Sherelyn Ogden.

Agencia Federal Para El Manejo De Emergencias.

Prepared by Connecticut State Library Preservation Office staff; last updated 10/24/03.