Hopkinton Historical Collection
 
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An overview of issues regarding preservation of Hopkinton Public Library's
Historical Collection and Archives.

Created by Linda Connelly

Note:   Preservation concepts and strategies were acquired from Simmons College course LIS 439, Preservation Management in Libraries and Archives.

Security/ Housing & Storage

Security Issues

It is essential to stop “rummaging” that causes potential damage to our collection by unnecessary handling of delicate materials, through physical touching, photocopying and continual re-shelving. Additionally, because of the lack of our library staffs’ ability to supervise the Treasure Rooms’ users, (there are simply not enough of us,) allowing any and all users to browse and handle the materials literally opens the door to theft of items and loss of intellectual control due to researchers mis-shelving or separating items within a series. 
According to Preservationists  theft in a variety of libraries, public, college and university is   epidemic.  While libraries are welcoming public institutions, “scholars, novelists, clergymen, policemen and lawyers are among the professionals who have been found guilty of significant crimes against archives and libraries.” (Banks, 2000 p. 167.)

Housing and Storage Problems

Prior to beginning the preservation project the collection was arranged in binders, folders, notebooks and boxes without regard to physically protecting the materials or preventing long-term deterioration of the collection. Examples pointing to a lack of a previous preservation mindset were a lack of archival quality materials for storing paper materials; folders, notebooks and boxes were of non-archival materials, many probably detrimental to the long-term condition of the paper materials in the room.  Brittle (acidic) paper items were attached together with metal paper clips that oxidize and rust, causing damage to paper and adhesive tape was unfortunately used to attach labels along the spine of leather books consequently damaging the leather if and when removed.  Additionally, some of the older and unique leather bound items were kept within plastic bags, creating a potentially destructive microenvironment as the bag may trap moisture and therefore contribute to decomposition and the growth of mildew.
 
Old local maps were, (some still are) rolled and stuffed in ordinary cardboard boxes and are difficult to examine because of curling and can become damaged if unfurled. Other maps have been laminated, (such plastic covering can never be removed,) some are stacked in piles in a separate area of the library as there is no adequate drawer or storage space in the tiny room. 
Over-sized items were often stacked horizontally in piles on top of smaller items, published titles were too tightly packed onto wooden shelving units, causing unnecessary pressure to delicate bindings and examples of artifacts donated by patrons long ago are encased in old wooden boxes without regard to protection of the contents which are subjected to the acidic condition of the box itself.   Detrimental to many of the older materials is the fact that the shelving units themselves are made of oak and unfinished pine, both are a less than ideal preservation material as ideally wood should be avoided as it is organic and as it ages produces additional acids. 

Numerous local photographs were housed in vinyl, cardboard and other types of plastic album cover materials, some unfortunately adhered to album pages by sticky backed sheets.  Descriptive labels, hand written, were often composed in ink on the photographs themselves, sometimes taped onto the images. Both were well intentioned practices for saving information related to the pictures, but have destructive preservation consequences, tape peeling, fading and destroying areas of the pictures over time, (impossible to remove without damage,) and ink also causing deterioration to the photographs.