Storage Enclosures for Paper Archives

Good storage protects paper archives from the agents of deterioration including dust and dirt, water damage, poor handling, incorrect relative humidity, light, fire, pests and damage caused by poor quality/unsuitable boxes and other enclosures.

LINK: Agents of Deterioration

Poor quality storage materials can be a source of detrimental materials such as acids, colourants, sulphur and lignin which can cause damage to objects. For example, acids can cause paper to become brittle, fade and yellow and can cause staining.

Storage in unsuitable and poor quality boxes and enclosures can also cause:

Surface texture change
Tears, creases, folds, deformation and abrasions
Marks and indentations
Dust and dirt
Loss of text, e.g. some plastics release plasticisers as they age sticking to your object, and pulling off the text when they are removed

As you can see, what you store your archives in has a profound impact on its longevity. Storage enclosures can either increase the rate at which they fall apart or aid their long term survival.

Image shows a shelf with old books, on the shelf in front of the books are dead insects and other debris. *‘Incorrect storage: housekeeping issues’. Image courtesy of Victoria Stevens ACR*

Image shows four sets of documents bound with tape, the first two are upright the second two are curled over like the letter c. *‘Incorrect storage: unsupported items’. Image courtesy of Victoria Stevens ACR*

General guidance for storage enclosures

BS 4971:2017 Conservation and Care of Archive and Library Collections makes general recommendations for the packaging of items in archives. It states that packaging should be:

suitable for its purpose
designed to fit the document/s without them being folded or otherwise adapted to fit the container
strong enough to withstand handling and the weight of the document/s they contain
designed to protect the contents against pollutants and light
constructed of materials that have no adverse effect on the document/s enclosed as a consequence of vapour exchange or direct contact
where packaged documents are placed inside a larger archive box, these boxes should not be overfilled
when selecting archive boxes for use, the ease with which they can be handled should be taken into account

Other general guidance to consider includes:

The material and surface characteristics of the enclosure must not cause scratches and abrasions.
The design of the enclosure should promote safe handling and access to the objects.
Materials and adhesives used to make the enclosures should contain no chemicals which could cause, or contribute to, fading or yellow stain formation.
The enclosure must provide adequate protection and should have ageing characteristics that are as good, if not better, than the objects inside.
The enclosure must provide adequate physical support to protect the material during handling and to maintain correct storage postures.

Materials for storage enclosures

Storage enclosures can be made from:

Paper
Board
Polyester film

Paper and board. Paper and board used should be calcium carbonate buffered, have a pH of 6 to 9 and be lignin and sulphur free. Paper and boards can be made either of 100% rag (cotton) or of highly purified chemical wood pulp. Although the 100% rag is preferable, both are acceptable.

Plastic. Polyester, also known as Mylar or Melinex can be used. Other plastics are available but they have poor ageing qualities and should not be used.

You should be aware that because polyester can have an electrostatic charge it is not recommended for use with friable (powdery) media, such as pencil, pastel, flaking iron gall ink and chalk and fragile objects, such as those which are torn, have loose parts or are mould damaged.

Which material you choose depends on many factors including its physical characteristics and working properties, the job at hand and the resources you have available. You should also bear in mind the sustainability of the material, and its impact on the climate and the environment.

Types of storage enclosures

It can be useful to think of your storage enclosures as armour, protecting your archives from the agents of deterioration. With storage of paper archives there are two levels of armour:

The sleeve, envelope, folder or pocket
The box (or dust cover for rolled items)

Sleeve, envelope, folder or pocket

Image shows a range of boxes and folders primarily in grey, cream or white card. *‘Boxes and folders’ Image courtesy of National Library of Scotland*

Boxes. Archive materials should not be put loose into boxes. They should be put into a sleeve, envelope, folder etc. and then placed into a box. The box that you use should match the size of the enclosure. There should not be room for the enclosure to move within the box. This will prevent your enclosures from sliding about in the box causing damage to the object. Remember to leave enough space to allow you to remove the enclosures from the box.

Image shows a range of boxes in grey card, some with white interiors. *‘Box’. Image courtesy of National Library of Scotland*

Image shows a larger box folded out to reveal the contents which are a number of grey card files. ‘Housing Archive’. Image courtesy of National Library of Scotland

You have a number of choices regarding where to source your storage enclosures. You can:

Make them yourself
Purchase them ready made from the conservation suppliers (LINK to Sources and Resources)
Purchase them custom made from the conservation suppliers and from others. Bulk buy when you have a lot of records requiring the same enclosures, and bulk buy with another organisation to reduce your financial and environmental cost.
Reuse the enclosures you already have. If enclosures are fit for purpose; clean and reuse
Get them free from other archives. Use your network and check out Museum Freecycle.

Storage enclosures for flat paper, books and large paper archives

The decision on which storage enclosure to use is context based. Think about the collection, the materiality of the collection, space you have available and your resources including time and finances.

Flat paper. Can be placed into a polyester sleeve, a card folder/wallet or a four flap enclosure and stored flat in a box.

Only one object should be placed in a sleeve.
Only flat objects should be placed in a polyester sleeve. Anything bulky or with a spine should not be stored in a polyester sleeve.
Folded documents should be opened out and stored flat. Repeated folding and unfolding increases their rate of deterioration.
Do not use staples, tags with metal ends, clips, pins, rubber bands, self adhesive tape or sticky notes on your archives or storage enclosures. These deteriorate over time causing damage to archives.

Books and albums. Should be stored in a box which fits the object. A custom made box will provide the best protection.

Maps, plans and outsize objects. May be stored flat in a portfolio in a plan chest or stored rolled:

Roll onto a sturdy tube.
Use a tube that is at least two inches longer than the width of the widest object.
Wrap the rolled object with paper, Tyvek or unbleached cotton to protect from light and dust
Tie with unbleached cotton tying tape

Terms

Buffered. Has an alkaline reserve added (calcium carbonate) to help combat the acid deterioration

pH. Measure of acidity and alkalinity. The lower the number, the more acidic.

Lignin. The natural glue that binds cellulose fibres together and stiffens plant stems. Lignin easily breaks down into yellow-brown acidic products which causes paper to weaken (become brittle) and discolour over time.

Sulphur. Causes discolouration and yellowing

Sources and Resources

BS 4971: 2017 Conservation and Care of Archive and Library Collections

For recommendations on how to store loose sheets, maps, bound volumes, seals, photographs, film and sound, and information on shelves and shelving material.

ISO 16245:2023 Information and documentation — Boxes, file covers and other enclosures, made from cellulosic materials, for storage of paper and parchment documents.

Preservation Equipment Ltd: https://www.preservationequipment.com

For materials to make your own, ready made and made to measure storage enclosures

CxD: https://www.cxdinternational.com

For materials to make your own, ready made and made to measure storage enclosures

G. Ryder: https://www.ryderbox.co.uk

For materials to make your own, ready made and made to measure storage enclosures

Conservation Resources: https://conservation-resources.co.uk/collections/archival-boxes

For materials to make your own, ready made storage enclosures

Shepherds: https://store.bookbinding.co.uk/store/department/129/Archival-Storage/

For materials to make your own and ready made storage enclosures

Norfolk Record Office: https://www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk/our-services/buy-an-archival-box

For made to measure storage enclosures