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Re: brittle newspaper



"Sicchio, Mary" wrote:

> What advice would you give a patron who just called and is afraid to touch a
> folded,brittle 1885 newspaper.

Tell her that she needs to get a little moisture into the paper first.
A quick-(but-hopefully-not-dirty) method is to place an inch or so
of tap water into the bottom of a plastic tray or bin of such a size
as to hold a smaller tray or bin suspended above the water.  Close
the larger bin (doesn't have to be airtight) and allow the humid
micro-environment to humidify the paper.  This might take twenty
minutes, or it could take 12 hours.  It should be monitored, and
as soon as the humidity has made the paper a little more supple,
it should be somewhat safer to unfold.   Tell her not to wait until
the paper is soggy!

(Much depends on the paper--woodpulp vs. some rag content--
and the conditions under which it has been kept for the last 115 years.)

It is fairly likely that this will allow her to, at best, get the paper
to a photocopier in as few pieces as possible.  Once it's photocopied
(and unless it has sentimental value to her) the original can be
tossed.

> What is the first thing she should do at this point.

Hope this helps.

Ed Frank
Curator of Special Collections
University of Memphis Libraries

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