Report on the 11th Annual National Archives Workshop

As I flew over the southern Midwest USA on Thursday, September 6 I really had no idea what to expect at the 11th Annual National Archives Workshop in Phoenix, Arizona. I had heard that it was the key site for archivists of Alcoholics Anonymous and that there was a lot of work done but I how was I to know how critical a gathering until it all began to unfold.

Receiving the weekend’s agenda I had a feeling of ease and comfort knowing that each day’s activities began with an AA meeting. First things first. Anyone, anywhere … and each morning of the 78 attendees from all over the United States about 30 of us gathered to share our experience, strength and hope.

The Workshop opened on Thursday evening with Vick Jo (Immediate past Delegate, Phoenix) getting us started with an evening of open sharing of “what’s on your mind?”
Participants – archivists, archives chairs and those interested in archives. The discussion ranged from photographs and anonymity; anonymity and the internet; access to GSO Archives; and what to do with oral histories. The information shared in these short two hours was rich and immediately applicable to our work in Area 83. You can read some of the consensus that emerged out of these discussions on the Area 83 Archivist’s blog.

On Friday the work began in earnest. We spent the whole day on preservation and conservation with workshops being led by Dave C., former archivist for Western Washington, Area 72. We spent the whole day at tables laden with conservation and preservation tools and material. We received instruction on how to receive material, catalogue, assess condition, repair, clean, de-acidify, preserve, encapsulate, sew Grapevines. There were 3 working tables with 2 other facilitators, Terry and Dennis ? and though there was not enough room for everyone to participate the rest of us circled round the tables and shared the resources. There was a lot of excitement about actually doing the preservation and conservation that has a tendency to be shrouded in mystery for those of new to the work. Our evening was well rounded by the sharing of 4 of Phoenix’s longtimers with an average of 45 years each.

Saturday was consumed with workshops conducted on What Are Archives? What to Keep/throw; Storage-Repositories; Long Time Collections; Disaster Recovery; Collections vs. Archives; and bid presentations for the 13th Annual Archives Workshop in 2009. The sharing on these will presented on the Area 83 Archivist’s blog over the next few months.

During a Saturday evening banquet we enjoyed fellowship and a great supper after which we listened to a presentation by Amy Filiatreau, GSO Archivist on GSO’s Archives with a real nice set of clips of Bill W., Dr. Bob, Nell Wing, Ebby T. and a few others. This will be the basis of her presentation at the 23rd GTA Archives Breakfast on November 4, 2007 at the Oasis Convention Centre.

Sunday is the business meeting of the NAW. Everyone registered becomes a voting member. We voted on the bid for the 2009 NAW which will be in Woodland Hills, California, just outside Los Angeles. Other items of business related to the composition of the NAW Steering Committee, guidelines around the NAW bids and other miscellaneous items.

STEPS IN CONSERVATION

1. Record acquisition
2. Assessment - what action is needed?
3. Remove staples, paper clips, tape, backings
4. Clean
5. Repair
6. Deacidify
7. Encapsulate
8. Select storage/display conditions

1. Record Acquisition
· documents, books, etc- should be logged in file system or computer database;
· Record any information that might later be helpful in accessing (e.g., title, author, etc.)
· Record condition in which item was received;
· Note any known history of items, including groups or events involved, and donor;


2. Assessment
· Examine the document for:
· Staples & paper clips;
· Tape and backings;
· Dirt and stains;
· Tears and folds;
· Yellowing and brittleness


3. Remove Staples & Backings
· Remove staples by bending up and clipping off ends; do not use office staple remover;
· Remove paper clips, replace with acid-free plastic clips;
· Remove paper or cardboard backings, if possible - they will often be acidic;
· Remove adhesive tape; if possible, residue comes off with toluene.


4. Document Cleaning
· Do not use common erasers;
· Surface dirt can be removed with document cleaning powder. Be careful not to remove pencil marks that might be wanted; Most stains cannot be removed without damaging the document.


5. Document Repair
· Do not use adhesive ( " Scotch " ) tape to repair tears in paper documents and books;
· Avoid using materials that require solvents for removal - solvents may attack inks;
· Archival quality repair tapes are available that are water reversible;
· Tissue repair gives nearly invisible results.


6. Most paper made in the last 80-100 years contains acids that will cause deterioration; acids cause paper to turn brown and brittle, so treat darkest documents & books first;
Indicator pens can show acidity in paper but will leave a small, permanent stain; if testing, use a small area first to be sure it will not be affected by treatment.

WeiTo
- Uses flammable solvents, may attack some inks;
- Clogs spray nozzles;
- Less expensive;
- Treatment may penetrate better.

Homemade recipes also available, but are unproven

7. Encapsulation
· Use only archival quality, acid-free materials;
· Seal seams with double-sided tape or use heat sealer;
· Leave small air gap in seal - do not seal around document;
· Use open top Mylar envelopes for multi-page documents such as newsletters.

8. Storage/Display Conditions
· Choose storage and display conditions appropriate to the age, condition and rarity of
the document or book.



Don't forget Security!!!