 Hello and welcome to this presentation about handling and care of library and archival materials at Tulane University Special Collections. This presentation is a collaboration between Tusk Collections Management Team and Tulane Libraries Conservation staff. We are excited to bring you this vital information so you feel comfortable and confident accessing our unique and rare collections. Together we will discuss topics such as preparations to make before handling items, how to safely move items, and how to handle different types of materials. All Tusk staff and student employees should feel confident and comfortable while handling the important, unique, and sometimes fragile materials that we work with every day. There are things we can do every day to protect materials before we even pull them from storage. These are the basics that mitigate risk of damage and loss. Always handle collection materials with washed and dried hands, free of lotions or creams, and make sure your work surfaces are clear of dust and debris. Clean your work areas with a cloth or paper towel dampened with water. Do not use any cleaning chemicals or solutions and dry with a separate dry cloth. Much of the material we work with creates debris because of its age and ongoing deterioration. Be sure to clean the work surface after use if the items have made your work surfaces dirty. Sometimes the debris ends up on the floor where you are working. If excessive, use a broom and dustpan to sweep up or request custodial staff to assist. Remove any jewelry or pieces of clothing that might get caught on an item, including large rings, long necklaces, bracelets, or scarves. If you are wearing nail polish, be extra cautious of your fingers as the polish can rub off onto materials. Ensure that all materials will fit safely on the tabletop that you will be working on. Do not let them hang off the sides. Do not leave items, folders, or boxes stacked on your work space. Do not lean on collection items or boxes, or use them as a writing surface. If you are writing, only use pencils in collection storage and processing areas. If you are leaving your work area for a long period of time, such as for a meeting, a lunch break, or overnight, be sure not to leave material exposed on tabletops. Close all folders and boxes that contain collections. Protective enclosures go a long way in protecting material if there is a leak above a work space or as dust and debris collects on surfaces. Also, you can place a simple object below or collections and process sign on top of the materials so others entering the area know someone is actively working on the materials in that space. Never consume food or beverages in workspaces where collection work is being done or in collection storage areas. You may have beverages in containers with secure, spill-proof lids at your desk if no collection material is being viewed on your desk. You can also store your spill-proof container on the floor next to your chair if there are collection materials near your work station. Most commercial adhesives are highly damaging, so we prohibit the use of sticky notes on archival and library materials, boxes, folders, mylar sleeves, or other protective enclosures. Instead, use pencil-on-flags, which are strips of acid-free paper to separate or flag materials. Do not use rubber bands, paper clips, including plastic paper clips, binder clips, or fasteners of any kind on collection materials, as these can also be highly damaging. If you find evidence of mold, pests, leaks, or other potentially damaging situations, let your tusk supervisor know immediately or contact a member of the collections management team. When in doubt, ask tusk staff for help. Now let's talk about gloves. You may notice they weren't mentioned in the first section about mitigating risk. There is a common misconception that you need to wear gloves when handling any special collections materials, but this isn't true. The only time you need to wear gloves is when you're handling photographs, metal objects, and film. Oils on the hands and fingers will hasten the deterioration of metal objects, as will fingerprints on photographs and film. This kind of damage would require a lengthy, specialized process to remove. Gloves are not needed when handling paper-based collection materials, such as books, maps, letters, or documents, but wash and dry your hands prior to handling. This removes as much of the oils on your hands as possible and leaves you with the dexterity needed to feel the paper and scents when it might be prone to tear or break. Wearing gloves when handling paper dulls the tactile scents and can end up causing more damage. However, you may choose to wear gloves if the material you are working with is dirty, actively shedding, or degrading to protect yourself from accumulating dirt on your hands. When you do need gloves, the preferred gloves these days are powder and latex-free nitrile gloves. When retrieving items from storage, think ahead about your endpoint. Though it might sound backwards, the first step is to prepare your landing place before you remove any item from a shelf or drawer. Clear an area that can support the entire item, such as an empty card or work table. Be aware that large folders require a large table to fit the entire enclosure, not just the item inside. Always be sure your route from the shelf or drawer to your workstation is clear before you remove an item. Check for any tripping hazards or furniture that might be in the way and move them. If there are any doors between the shelf and landing place, prop them open ahead of time. You don't want to be juggling door handles and collections. Gently bring the box forward from the back or sides so you can place one hand beneath the box while supporting it with the other. Lift the box from the shelf, always supporting the box from the bottom. Move the box to a library card and transport it to its endpoint. Avoid carrying the box in your hands from storage to its intended location. Removing a book from a shelf is a similar process. First, let's make sure everyone knows the parts of a book. We have the spine and two covers, the upper and lower board, or front and back cover that make up the case of the book. The paper in the middle is called the text block. The top edge of the book is the head, the bottom is the tail, and the edge parallel to the spine is called the fore edge. At the top and bottom of the spine are the end caps. And some books have colorful thread just inside the end caps called end bands. The end cap at the head, which we will mention again in just a bit, is often called a head cap. Move the books on either side of the book you are removing to the side so you can push the book slightly forward on the shelf from the fore edge. When the book is positioned forward or on the shelf, grasp the book at the middle of the spine to remove it from the shelf. Never take a book off the shelf by pulling the top of the spine. This strains the head cap and over time causes damage. While you can carry one book of a standard size in your hands, always transport multiple books and oversized books using a book truck and a bookend. Be sure the books are supported on the truck so they don't fall over as you move. If you need extra support or an enclosure for safe transport, you can reuse a clean, gently used archival enclosure as temporary housing. Once you have safely removed a document box from the shelf and moved it to your prepared work surface, take care when handling the materials inside. Be sure that your work surface is clean and flat and remove only one folder at a time. Removing too many folders at once will cause folders left in the box to shift around or slide down, which can cause damage. Or materials may be loose in the folder and quick movement may pull or shift the items unnecessarily. Use a non-acidic marker flag to indicate where the folder was removed if the folder is not clearly labeled. Place the folder flat on the table before looking inside. Do not hold it open with one hand or partially lift it out of the box and thumb through the folder. You never know what is in the folder and the material should be supported on the table. Keep items in the folder in order and if you need to remove an item, use another non-acidic marker flag to indicate where it came from. Do not leave an open folder of documents unattended and be sure to close the folder and return it to the box before walking away. When returning items to their folders, make sure they are collated in the folder with no edges peeking out. If the item in custom housing is a book, remove the book from the box before opening it as its edges may catch on the sides of the box. It is also best to use a book cradle to open the book as this will give the structure proper support. It is generally best to use a book cradle unless the book you are handling can withstand being opened 180 degrees. Listen to the book. Use your judgment when opening and feel its point of resistance to estimate the maximum open angle the book can withstand. To set up the cradle, place both supports down on the table with space between them for the spine. This space should be approximately the width of the spine so it will fit snugly. Place the book onto the right side of the cradle and open it slowly. Once you have a feel for the resistance, open the book and place the front cover onto the left support. Open it slowly and watch the spine when opening. If it looks like it may crack or create a sharp angle, use more supports under either side to support the cover and create a smaller opening angle. The book may already have been cracked at the spine, so be aware of prior damage. Use a snake weight or bag weight if pages spring up. You can also place larger angled support beneath the two smaller front and back supports to lift the book to an angle for easier viewing. Turn pages carefully when the book is in the cradle. Turn pages one at a time and use two hands if necessary. Be aware of the condition of the paper and previous edge or corner repairs. Be aware of possible foldouts or loose pages. You can also use a microspatula to assist in lifting pages. Pay attention to the spine as you turn pages. Your cradle and supports may need to be adjusted as you turn more pages and the weight of the book is redistributed. Make sure it is always properly supported. If the book is tightly bound, you may not be able to open it very wide. Once the book starts to resist opening, stop. Do not force it open. Forcing a book to open past its point of resistance can lead to breakage of the spine. If the book is large and you cannot open it comfortably with two hands, place the book flat on the table and open only the front cover. Think of the opening as angles found on a protractor, with the flat cover of the spine representing its flat base. The book may only want to open 30 degrees. It may want to open 90 degrees. Pay attention to the resistance and lift the pages at the same angle as the cover to continue viewing the pages of the book. Even flat paper and folded materials in good stable condition require care when handling and transporting to prevent damage. Always use some kind of enclosure or support to move these materials. This can be as simple as a folder or polyester sleeve, or if it is a larger or more brittle item, a rigid support board like blue board. If the paper is brittle, it can break much more easily. If the paper flakes when touched and you see shards in a box or folder that look like the bottom of a bag of potato chips, it is best to leave it as is and bring the box or folder to your supervisors or the collection management team's attention. If you are handling an item that was once folded and is now flattened, be aware that the folds may be a weak point in the paper where it can tear more easily. When unfolding items, be aware of these points where materials may tear or any other areas where there already is a tear that could be further ripped. Once an item is unfolded, use supports or small weights to keep it flat. Be aware of brittleness and do not use weights if the extra stress will strain the paper or any folds. You can use snake weights for foldouts from a book or use supports to keep the foldout on the same plane of the book to reduce strain. While most of our materials are flat and stored in boxes and folders, you may occasionally find a rolled document. Again, be aware of the paper's condition and points of resistance. If the paper has creases, tears, or other damage at its ends, please be aware that this may catch when unrolling. If an item is brittle or tight and does not want to unroll, do not force it. Unroll an item slowly and carefully. The item can be safely unrolled with the assistance of a weight by positioning it in the exposed area and sliding the weight toward each rolled edge. By sliding weights to the corners, you can keep the item flat without adding creases. Do not move the material when flat unless it will stay unrolled on its own and you have a support board underneath. As mentioned earlier, the only times gloves are necessary are when handling photographs, film, and metal objects. The oil that exists naturally on our hands can over time cause a chemical reaction and corrode photographs, film, and metal. Use powder-free nitrile gloves as cotton gloves are porous and can still transmit finger oil and residues through the fabric. For photographs, as with paper, pay attention to the condition and any possible deterioration. Watch for torn edges, folded or loose corners, or where the top layer of emulsion may have peeled or flaked from the paper backing. Handle photographs from their edges one at a time. Metal objects can be heavy, so be aware of their heft. Do not attempt to move or open corroded hinges or movable metal pieces, or assume that because the object is made of metal, it will not break. Different metals have different properties and can bend or break over time. Be aware of potential deterioration and just as with books and paper, do not move past the point of resistance. We will discuss handling film and other audio-visual media in a moment. Oversized materials can be tricky, since they are bulky, wide, tall, often heavy and difficult to move. Don't be shy about asking for help when you need it. It is best to have two people when removing oversized items and heavy boxes from storage. Use a U-cart to transport materials from their storage to the reading room or work areas whenever possible. For oversized flat material, such as architectural drawings and posters, remove all folders above the target folder first. You may need to do this in multiple steps because of the weight or size of the folders on top of the target folder. Take the time you need to do this safely. As with other materials, be sure to prepare your landing place before you move oversized materials. Plan out your path. Once you have done this, assess the weight of the materials you are moving. Do not attempt to lift folders that are heavy and contain many items. Ask a colleague for help. If the item you need is in the middle of the folder, do not attempt to pull it directly out. Remove the materials above the item to a flat surface and then remove the item. Put the desired item in a clean, temporary folder for transport. Be sure to leave a non-acidic flag in the folder so you know where to return the item. Lifting single oversized items takes care and attention. Lift the item by the corners of an open edge or by holding the center of either side and letting it drape into a U-shape or teardrop shape. You can also hold opposite corners to move an oversized item without creasing it. You can also use a rigid support or board underneath the item to transport it flat. Be aware of the corners and edges of the material. Is the material too big for the folder and peeking out at the edges? Be aware that those edges are most susceptible to damage when knocked, bumped, or moved. Many of our large materials are kept in polyester enclosures. Handle the materials in their polyester sleeves and do not take them out of the enclosure. Removing material from the enclosure can cause damage. All audio-visual media carriers require protective enclosures. However, you might come across media in a box that is not enclosed. While handling, remember the following. Do not touch playing surfaces. Handle grooved discs, 78s, 45s, LPs, and lacquer discs by the edge and label areas only. Handle optical discs, CDs, and DVDs by the edge and center hole only. Handle magnetic tape, reel-to-reel or open-reel by the edge of the plastic or metal reel, the flanges, and center hub only. Do not squeeze the flanges together, which will crush the tape pack in between. Handle magnetic tape, cassettes, audio, and video by the outer shell and do not touch the spools. Before you scan any materials, be sure the items can be handled safely. If it cannot be handled without causing further damage and, most importantly, loss of information, it should not be scanned without stabilization by our conservation staff. If it can be handled safely but only with proper supportive equipment like rigid boards, book cradles, or other supports, be sure to have those ready before you start scanning. Always be aware of potential challenges. The materials you are scanning might have full doubts or may be oversized and not fit on the scanning bed. It might be brittle, contain inserts or other loose pieces, or perhaps it has metal fasteners that need to be opened or removed to access the interior of the item. It is important to preview the materials you want to scan so you can take care of any of these issues before getting into the job. If you do not know how to remediate the issue, do not proceed with scanning. If you have a book that does not want to open past 90 degrees, if the paper is too brittle to be handled or the binding is damaged or damaging the pages when turned, do not scan it. Likewise, if the item is too large to fit on the scanner, do not scan it. Set it aside for review by your supervisor or other tusk staff. When using a flatbed scanner, never scan an item with graphite, charcoal, pastel or other friable, which means powdery or easily disturbed media. Do not scan on a flatbed anything that is folded or creased or applied pressure against the folds or creases to flatten an item. If you have examined the material for all these conditions and can safely proceed with scanning, be sure you have a clean work surface with enough room to comfortably fit the box, folder and items when removed from the enclosure. If you get interrupted while scanning or take a break, be sure to put materials back into the folder and box before walking away. Do not leave the documents or other material unattended or loose on a work surface or scanning bed. Always double check the scanning bed for left behind items when you are finished with a scanning job. Thank you for your attention and participation in Tulane Libraries' handling and care training. By following these guidelines and being aware of what each item is telling us, we can help preserve special collections materials over the long term, with confidence in our handling and care practices. Thanks again for joining us in learning more about material handling and care with Tulane University's Special Collections and Tulane Libraries Conservation.