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Re: Sectioning / cutting of very large oversize maps drawings etc



I just finished re-processing a large collection of maps and oversized
documents.  I would NOT suggest sectioning maps.  A portion of our maps are
copies of map sections or were sectioned.  Unfortunately, with the amount of
use our collection receives, sections were separated from each other over
time.  It was a time consuming process "rematching" sections - and some
sections didn't match up with anything.

I would suggest rolling the over sized items in order to maintain the
documents' integrity.  There are some good boxes that allow for multiple
rolled items which I have found most useful.

Val



-----Original Message-----
From: Erik Nordberg [mailto:enordber@MTU.EDU]
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 11:23 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Sectioning / cutting of very large oversize maps drawings etc


A couple of years ago, I posted a summary of responses concerning
storage of oversized maps and drawings (see message appended below).
Now, my interest has focused on how to manage unusually large items  --
things larger than the standard flat file cabinetry currently available.

I would be interested in hearing from any archivists or repositories
that have experience with cutting-up or sectioning large items for
storage in standard sized flat file drawers.  I am indeed aware of other
options, particularly the various means of rolling oversize material
around mylar tubes and such.  But I am specifically interested in
comments / input on the technique of sectioning.

My initial reaction is to "do no harm," yet I'm concerned with the cost
of specialized storage approaches and the long-term preservation of
these larger items that are likely to be damaged in storage and in use.
Getting them sectioned, flattened and in safe, easy-to-describe
standardized drawers appears worthy of consideration.

This technique is mentioned in the Northeast Document Conservation
Center's excellent leaflet, written by Mary Todd Glaser, entitled
"Storage Solutions for Oversized Paper Artifacts." To quote:

"At one time, libraries routinely cut maps into sections for easier
storage. Sometimes the sections were mounted together on a single cloth,
folded where cut, and put inside a cover in a book format. These
interesting examples of early map preservation are found in many
libraries. Today maps are never cut. Some, however, can be sectioned
without cutting. Many early materials, especially maps, are printed or
drawn onto two or more sheets of paper that have been joined together.
In the course of conservation treatment these sheets can be separated,
treated, and kept separate. Sectioning in such cases is a radical
solution but not an irreversible one. The component parts can always be
put together for viewing or permanently rejoined at a later time.
Whether to section, like so many conservation issues, should be decided
on an individual basis, with a consideration of the object's aesthetic
importance, its uniqueness, its original function, the amount of
handling it will receive, and the feasibility of storage alternatives
such as rolling. This is essentially a curatorial issue that must be
decided by the collection manager with input from the conservator."
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf49.htm

Thanks in advance for any advice.  I solemnly promise to post a summary
to the list.

Erik Nordberg
Michigan Tech

--------------------------
--------------------------
Original query:
I've overheard talk amongst colleagues about a better way to store
architectural & engineering drawings, in some sort of vertical, hanging
system that doesn't hurt the drawings.  I've always assumed flat files
are
preferred.
Any comments?
-------------------------
-------------------------
Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler, in __Preserving Archives and Manuscripts__
(Society
of American Archivists, 1993, pp 88-92), indicates that flat storage is
the
preferred method of preserving oversize material.  Here are a few
excerpts
from this valuable book:
"In general, oversize material should be placed in heavy weight folders
(.020 inch thick) and stored flat in map cases or in horizontal storage
boxes."
"If items are simply too large for flat storage and folding is neither
desirable nor appropriate, an acceptable alternative is to roll them
around
the outside of alkaline tubes.....Rolled items should be stored flat in
cabinets designed for rolled storage, on the tops of map cases, on
oversize
shelves, or in large flat boxes, and not upright in bins or standing on
the
floor, which will cause the items to shift to the bottom of the tubes
with
increased possibilities for damage."
"Under no circumstances should a document be rolled and slipped inside a
tube for storage; once inside the tube, the document will unroll to fill
the
interior space, making safe removal very problematic."
"Vertical oversize storage systems, which are often used for working
files
of blueprints and architectural drawings, are not suitable for archival
storage.  Vertical systems in which materials are stored in pockets or
folders suspended from sliding rails often result in damage as materials
slump to the bottom of units and become pleated or crumpled.  Pin an
post
systems, which emply self-adhesive hinges from which materials are
suspended, are also damaging.  Excessive strain is placed along the
vulnerable top edges of oversize items, which must bear their own
weight;
the adhesive also may be damaging.  Moreover such systems provide no
protection from dirt or light exposure."
-----------------------------------------------
The Northeast Document Conservation Center has an excellent leaflet,
written
by Mary Todd Glaser, entitled "Storage Solutions for Oversized Paper
Artifacts."  You can contact them via e-mail at nedcc@nedcc.org or visit
their website at www.nedcc.org.  Unfortunately, they do not have that
particular leaflet online, but it is part of their manual,
__Preservation of
Library & Archival Materials__. (Update: it is now available online at
  http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/tleaf49.htm  )
-----------------------------------------------------
One repository I've visited stores some of their drawings in hanging
files
-- The problem I observed during my tour was with retrieval -- a short
person would have a hard time lifting them high enough to get them out
of
the hanGing file -- if you are
interested in vertical storage -- the vertical files should not be
top-loaders!
------------------------------------------
we were confronted with a
collection of 7,000 drawings on large sheets.  Since flat
files were out of the question, we rolled the sheets on
acid-free tubes and rolled a piece of Mylar around the
outside. An endcap has the label information.  These were
slid into stacked larger tubes.  A tidy solution to a tough
problem.  My experience with the hanging files is that
everything eventually winds up on the bottom of the file in
a heap.  I hope this helps.
---------------------------------------
Just a thought from someone who has had to try and index those types of
records.  It is impossible to get one drawing out at a time, it is very
difficult to flip through the drawings if they are of any size, it is
very difficult to get all of the drawings into the clip, and the middle
drawings eventually find their way out of the clip.  I would stick with
storing them flat.
----------------------------------------
I worked at an Exxon plant and standard practice was to store the
drawings in large flat files. Bluelines of frequently used, critical
plant drawings were kept in vertical hanging files which used pressure
clamps to hold them securely. The bar was a little over an inch wide and
could hold a goodly number of drawings. Being short is definitely a
disadvantage with this system, because when fully loaded, it could be
both awkward and heavy to lift out. It also has to be lifted out
carefully so the edges don't get caught and torn, and then laid down
carefully so the back pages aren't folded inadvertently underneath. For
a designer in a hurry, it's a quick and easy way to thumb through a
number of drawings without them flying all over the place, and the racks
we used took up about as much space as a bookcase.
I guess since I've been out of the field for 10 years I shouldn't say,
but I just can't image that system being superior to the flat file.
Granted the flat file is not a breeze to wiggle drawings in and out of.
----------------------------
When I was just out of high school, I worked as an office boy in my
dad's engineering office.  They had a vertical type system that used a
sort of clamp that held one end of the drawings in place.  This system
was cheaper than the drawers and made accessing the drawings much
easier.  The problem was that the drawings were exposed.  I would think
that if there was a way to enclose the drawings so they would be
protected, a vertical hanging system would offer several advantages over
flat files.  In addition to making it easier to retrieve and refile the
drawings, grouping drawings of various sizes together would not be as
much of a problem as with flat files.
------------------------------
     we keep all of our original drawings flat, simply because
     we have the space and the shelving, and it's much safer
     preservation-wise.  I don't know much about the vertical systems,
     except that I'm sure that many architectural firms use these.  It
     seems that the clamping device could possibly be a problem (or at
     least a nuisance) when retrieving and returning drawings,
especially
     if the collection is used frequently.
-------------------------------
 We have a number of
maps and drawings that are too large to fit in even the biggest map case
we've been able to find. At the moment, we're just storing them rolled
in
tubes, but it's a pain to take them out and put them back away. A set-up
that would allow us to hang them somehow would be ideal.
--------------------------------
Thanks for the warning--would this also apply to drawings on paper or
linen
that have been encapsulated in mylar? We were thinking that, if there
were
some sort of rack which we could use for hanging drawings and maps, we
could encapsulate a drawing or map in mylar so that whatever hanging
device
is used would be attached to the mylar enclosure, not to the drawing
itself. Or would the weight of the drawing still put too much of a drag
on
the item and cause damage? Would you suggest including some sort of
acid-free board as a backing? On the one hand, this would give more
support
to the drawing, but on the other hand, it would make it more cumbersome
to
carry an item from our storage area to our reading room. (And it would
increase the materials costs--always a concern!)
---------------------------------

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Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>