 The National Archives is the record keeper for the federal government. Preserved at the archives are the key documents in our nation's history, such as the Declaration of Independence, as well as those records that document how we have lived and the role government has played in our lives. Our mission is to preserve materials for future generations to ensure ready access to records that document the rights of U.S. citizens, the actions of federal officials, and the national experience. The Archives receives millions of records each year. Records come from federal agencies across the country and are stored in record centers, regional archives, presidential libraries, Archives 1 in downtown Washington, D.C., and Archives 2 in College Park, Maryland. Records receive basic preservation attention through holdings maintenance, which emphasizes improved housing. This training program focuses on holdings maintenance for paper-based textual records with the understanding that records exist in a variety of sizes and formats. Original records are unique and irreplaceable. Using appropriate preservation techniques will prolong the useful life of records and help eliminate or postpone the need for conservation treatment as long as possible. Successful holdings maintenance relies on the use of good archival and preservation practices, as well as sound professional judgment. While the majority of paper-based records receive basic holdings maintenance, some records have additional needs because of their condition, size, and format. When you find records that need special attention, consult your supervisor or project leader for guidance. Staff carrying out holdings maintenance procedures will be working with instructions designed for a particular project. All actions are based on a specific plan. When starting your day, inspect your work area. Is it well lit? Is it clean and clear of anything that might damage a record? Never bring food or drink in any area that contains records. And of course, smoking is prohibited in all federal facilities. Make sure you have ample space to work on items without being too crowded. Don't have records overhang the table or desk. Maintain at least three inches of space between the edges of the document and the edge of the work surface. Organize your space so that each tool or supply has its own place. A clean orderly area helps to promote smooth, efficient workflow. The supplies needed to carry out your work will be provided by your project leader. All supplies must meet NARA preservation requirements. Approved papers, folders, and boxes fall within an alkaline range and may sometimes be referred to as acid-free. Don't improvise with unauthorized or general office supplies not intended for use with permanent records. Now supplies you will need include pencils, polyester sleeves, small polyester squares, fasteners, and a microspatula. Alkaline paper barrier strips, boxes, folders, spacer boards, and alkaline bond paper. Now always have a supply of clean cotton gloves available. Replace dirty gloves. Clubs are mandatory for handling photographic or magnetic media and optional for handling other materials. White cotton twill tape is used for tying up bound volumes with loose board attachments. Only use dry, untreated cloths to dust the outside of boxes. Use brushes to remove loose surface dirt from bound volumes and records. Remember to keep your hands clean. Wash them whenever it's necessary. Don't use products that can stain records such as lotions and tacky fingers. Never use a moistened finger, rubber finger, or similar techniques to turn pages as these can cause physical damage. The safe transport of records calls for appropriate handling. Use a book cart to transport record boxes from one location to another. And make sure you only load carts to their safe capacity. And use folders to transport items from one workstation to another. Before beginning a project, consider condition, size, and format of records. Oversize documents such as maps, plans, and blueprints need additional support and larger work surfaces. Hold bound volumes with two hands. Now, while most documents are paper, you'll find a wide variety of items, even in a series of similar materials. There may be different types of media. Manuscript ink, printing ink, marker, crayon, and pencil. There are also different formats, such as loose documents, fastened documents, indexed carts, and paper. Indexed cards, bound volumes, newspapers, architectural drawings, maps, photographs, folded and oversized, or even micro-formats. You play a major role in NARA's preservation initiatives. The holding's maintenance work you carry out is essential to the success of the archive's mission. Records should always be protected by housings, which serve several functions. They provide rigid support in storage and facilitate handling and transport. Archive's boxes also protect records from dust, light, and poor environmental conditions. In the event of a water leak, boxes resist water for some time before moisture can reach the records. Folders maintain order, support documents, and provide a safe and easy way to handle appropriate quantities of records. Regardless of size or whether stored in upright or flat boxes or in map files, records are housed in folders. Replace folders that are damaged or do not give adequate support. Original folders do not need to be replaced if the folder continues to provide sufficient physical support. Label empty folders in pencil on the Reinforce Folder tab. Never use a pen or marker. Follow archival guidance in copying folder titles. Folders have score lines. Crease the folder score lines sharply. Then lay the new folder down flat and fill it carefully. Make sure the folder is not overfilled. The pre-scored lines at the bottom of the folder are guides to maximum filling. Always place records in folders or sleeves that are larger than the documents they are housing. No edges should project. Make sure to always use the appropriate size boxes to organize, transport, and house folders containing records. Overfilled boxes result in damage to records when folders are removed and refiled. Underfilled containers can cause records to slump, sag, and eventually become distorted. Always use spacer boards to keep records upright when a storage box is not filled to capacity. Adjust the score lines to the spacer board to accommodate the dimensions of the box. Place the spacer board in the box so that its flat side rests against the folders and its open side against the back of the box. The well created between the back of the box and the spacer board can be used to store small three-dimensional or bulky objects that relate to the textual records but would distort paper if left in direct contact. If items are to be stored separately due to size or format, follow standard archival procedures for using cross-reference forms. Polyester sleeves are used to support and protect torn or brittle records. Never attempt repairs using pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes which will stain documents. Sleeves may also be used to isolate poor-quality records such as telegrams or news clippings which could damage or stain materials in direct contact with them. Use sleeves large enough to leave a clear margin around the document. Don't join two sleeves together to fit an oversized document or use sleeves in books. The sharp edges of the polyester will damage these materials. Orient the sleeves with sealed sides to the left and bottom of the document in the sleeve. This orientation minimizes the likelihood that fragments will fall from the sleeve and assures protection of the document during handling and housing. The polyester sleeve may then be placed in a folder with its long sealed edge positioned at the bottom of the folder. An alkaline bond paper support sheet may be used to ease a damaged document into a sleeve. If the document only contains information on one side, the support sheet may be left in place to provide additional rigidity to the enclosure. If the support sheet covers information written on the back of the document, carefully remove the support sheet once the document is properly enclosed. Use polyester sleeves sparingly but when needed. Keep in mind that they add weight and thickness. Don't use sleeves on documents with thickly applied flaking or loosely adhered text or illustrations such as charcoal drawings or damaged photographic emulsions. Check with your supervisor for guidance in these cases. Fasteners help retain relationships among records and maintain records in proper order. Some fasteners such as seals, ribbon lacing or threads are of historical importance and removing them would damage and diminish the integrity of the attached records. But some fasteners can tear paper, leave stains, distort or weaken documents. Remove fasteners if they are damaging the record. Also remove them if they are an obstacle to safe access. If a fastener is removed, generally it is replaced. If staples are to be removed from weak or damaged papers, use a microspatula and a protective barrier of polyester film. Position the film under the staple prongs to protect the paper. The stainless steel microspatula is used gently to pry open the fasteners closed ends. Then turn the document over and lift up the staple. Dispose of the staple in a proper container. Replace removed fasteners with stainless steel paper clips or staples supported and protected by alkaline paper barrier strips. Use of these strips also indicates that the fastener is stainless steel and meets preservation requirements. A spatula may also be used carefully to chip away encrusted rust from staples or to lift hardened rubber bands without tearing or skinning the surface. Stop if at any time the record is in danger. Never continue if the process of removing a fastener will cause further damage to the record. Never use staples or paper clips on photographs, posters or on works of art. If fasteners are not to be used, records may also be grouped together using paper subfolders. If you encounter special problems, please contact your supervisor, project leader or preservation staff. Many duplication methods used in the past produce copies that are now unstable. You may be asked to photocopy these records to alkaline paper using a copying machine. When making a preservation copy, affix a label to the glass of the copy machine to indicate that this preservation copy has been made at NARA. The label will then appear on the photocopy. Ensure that records aren't damaged during photocopying. Make each copy individually since serious damage can occur if archival records go through the automatic copy feed. Place fragile documents to be copied in polyester sleeves for added protection. Do not back fold items or attempt to copy records larger than the glass surface. Never force open rolled or folded records that are inflexible or brittle. Bring these records to the attention of your supervisor. You may unfold and flatten flexible records by applying gentle finger pressure to the folds. Use existing fold lines to refold documents when necessary. Oversized records pose special storage problems. If they are too large to be stored flat, roll them on the exterior of a large diameter tube and cover with alkaline paper to protect from light and dirt. Write identifying information in pencil on the exterior before wrapping the rolled document. Tie the roll with white cotton twill tape near each end. Don't roll artwork documents with sensitive media, inflexible papers, or severely damaged records. These items may need to be referred for conservation treatment. Consult with your supervisor. Scrapbooks and albums often contain loose material that may become separated and damaged if stored vertically. Store albums flat, which will prevent any items that have become detached from falling out of the volume. Use white cotton twill tape to support volumes with broken spines, loose, or detached boards. Tie the bow along the volume's fore edge to make shelving safer. Both photographic prints and negatives require careful handling. Many times these images will be stored with related textural records. Though formats may differ, keep associated files together whenever possible. Always wear clean cotton gloves when handling photographic materials in order to protect them from fingerprints. Remove any fasteners you may find on photographic records. Don't attempt to remove photographs from their mounts or backings. Photographs may be lightly dusted with a soft brush outward from the center if there is loose dirt and if they are in stable condition. Place photographic images that are interfiled with textural records in polyester sleeves. The transparent sleeve provides protection when photos are handled and serves as a barrier between the photo and adjacent records. Make any necessary notations in the margins on the back of the prints. Use a soft number two pencil and never write on negatives. Place negatives in polyester sleeves for storage. Use rigid supports to store glass plate negatives, lantern slides, and cased images. Consult with preservation staff whenever you encounter these items. This presentation is only a basic overview of Holdings Maintenance. It highlights many techniques, concepts, and concerns. NARA's website is a good source of detailed, specific information. Always feel free to bring unfamiliar materials or problems to the attention of your supervisor, project leader, or conservation staff. Knowing more about the National Archives approach to Holdings Maintenance will help you carry out your work and understand the vital role you play in preserving large quantities of government records.