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Re: Another Old Photocopy question



The paper is either silver or zinc coated paper used in early "photographic"
process photocopiers (thus the original name ;-)).  The paper is similar to
very early photographic print papers, and the flaking is the "emulsion"
coming off the metal coating.  I don't know if the material will affect any
other documents in storage, but it will definitely lose portions of itself
as it flakes.  I would suggest you recopy the letters to a more stable (and
longer-lived) material.

Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM)
Newport News Waterworks
Newport News, VA
vjones@ci.newport-news.va.us

> Hello,
>
> I have a question about some reproductions of letters that I
> found in one
> of our collections.  The letters are listed in the finding aid as
> photocopies, but I am assuming the process is very early.  The copies
> are negative images and on a paper that has "3M Microfilm
> products" and
> "CAUTION: this paper is Electroconducive, avoid contact with
> live circuits".
>
> I was a little concerned when I noticed that in places, the
> top layer of
> paper seems to have flaked away and metallic fragments are
> visible.  The
> images are also quite faded in places.
>
> I don't anticipate any live circuits in our compact shelving.
> My concern
> is with the stability of the paper: does it pose any threat to other
> items housed within the same box, with only archival folders
> separating
> these letters from other collections.  Also, will they eventually
> fade to nothingness?  Should I recopy the letters and discard
> the older
> copies? If the weird paper poses no threat, these are not
> like any of our
> other elderly copies and are an interesting curiousity.
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Deborah Rouse
>
>

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