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Re: candy in collections



I do not see this as a particular hard issue to solve.  I see no reason to
save candy or food in a collection.  We harp about not letting researchers
have food or drink when using our materials, and we strive to keep our
collections in places that are free of pests.  Why then would we want to
knowingly save candy in our collections?  Wrapped up in a box or not, it is
still a matter of placing an organic and potentially decaying material that
could leak or ooze in with papers and archival holdings.  Common sense
would dictate that the candy be removed.  If you found an old candy bar or
a piece of food in a collection of papers would you save it?  You might
want to save the packaging that the candy comes in, but to save the candy
is inviting a whole host of problems.

Kristen Turner
Assistant College Archivist *& Records Manager
Skillman Library
Lafayette College
Easton, PA  18042



Dear Colleagues,

While processing the papers of H.A. and Margret Rey, creators of the lovable
(and lucrative) Curious George, we ran upon a conservation challenge.  Among
the huge assortment of merchandising products is a box of Curious George
"fruit" snacks (yuck).  The box contains 6 factory-sealed candy packages.
Ideally, we would like to preserve the candy as well as the box itself, but we
are worried about attracting insects.  Will the sealed packages themselves be
adequate to keep out bugs, or should we find a better method of packaging?
Furthermore, will the inevitable decay of organic matter create larger
problems
down the road (although there are probably enough preservatives in the
stuff to
turn it to stone in a few years anyway)?

Thanks in advance,

Hans Rasmussen and Cheri Alder
deGrummond Children's Literature Collection
University of Southern Mississippi
Hattiesburg, MS

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