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Particle board shelves in archives



Does anyone on the list have a solution to this problem:  In the past year I
have set up an archive for a corporate client.  I gave the company specs for
archival shelving, which was supposed to be steel.  When the shelving arrived, I
found the company had purchased wood particle board shelving instead, because it
saved them money.  Of course, they did this without consulting me, because I
would have told them that under no circumstances should any kind of wooden
shelving be used to hold materials we are trying to protect from harmful acid!
Acid free folders and boxes are no match for 3/4" thick wood!

Here's my question:  Is there any way to make these shelves archival?  Is there
any kind of sealant that could be put on them to stop the outgassing of
formaldehyde from the particle board, and prevent acid migration to the boxed
materials on them?  Of course, the company doesn't want to spend the money to
get the right shelves which were requested in the first place, so that isn't one
of my options.

Thanks a lot,
Jennifer Fulton

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