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Taking Care of Old BW Safety Negatives



Wanted to run this by everyone for comments,
observations.

Our archives has recently received a gift of ~2000
B/W 3"x5" safety film negatives in the old brown
paper enclosures that were typically used years
ago. Some of the negatives have deteriorated
badly, others appear nearly perfect, but the
entire collection has a very strong vinegar odor.
I am first planning to put the negatives in
acid-free enclosures and then try to arrange the
most suitable storage environment--probably
off-site.  I am also thinking it would be wise to
separate the deteriorated from the apparently
intact negatives for storage purposes.

Although I'm by no means a preservation expert, I
realize that colder is almost always better when
storing negatives. Would anyone out there have any
opinions as to whether freezing, and the
prepartion involved, would be worthwhile, or would
it be most cost-effective to store them in their
new containers at around 40 degrees 20 % humidty.
It's my understanding that the vinegar syndrome,
once started, can only be delayed--not halted
entirely, and money, for my institution, will
naturally be a major consideration. In any case, I
am going to try to arrange getting prints/scans
done from the negatives as soon as is practical.
Any advice would be welcome. Please respond
directly to me.

Thanks,
Bob Schmidt
Archives Listserve Coordinator
Miami University Archives
Oxford, Ohio 45056
513-529-6720
rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu

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