V. Recovery
D. In-House
Treatment
D. In-House Treatment of Damaged Materials
1. Team Leaders organize work teams
a. Assemble Team Members and brief them on the situation
b. Team Leaders provide detailed instruction on safe handling and treatment of
materials.
c. Team Leaders report regularly on progress to the Disaster Supervisor
2. Disaster Supervisors or Team Leaders assemble materials and supplies
a. Designate work space with room to sort and treat materials
b. Disaster Supervisor designates rest area for workers, plans breaks for rest and
refreshment every two hours, and makes provisions for refreshments to be
available.
c. Supplies needed: rolls of newsprint for blotting and absorbing moisture, paper and
pencils to keep inventory of damaged items, book trucks, sponges/paper towels,
plastic tarps, fans with extension cords, tables, fishing line to hang light items,
garbage bags, etc.
3. Disaster Teams prioritize and sort materials by type and extent of damage, as
indicated below. Also refer to Section V.B.3 for “Salvage at a Glance” Chart.
Although the chart may be easier to read, it does not contain the same amount of
detail as this list. Both sections should be used together.
a. Books
i. Slightly damp volumes
Wet edges only; do not need interleaving; can be air dried
(1) Cover drying surface with plain newsprint. Change newsprint as it
becomes damp and remove damp paper from drying area.
(2) Stand volume on its head and fan open slightly. Paperbacks and other
books that will not stand on their own may be braced with non-metal
supports
(3) Position books in path of circulating air, but not directly in front of fan as
this will cause pages to wrinkle
(4) When almost dry, lay volumes flat and cover with weights to minimize
distortion. When books are dry but still cool to the touch, they may be
placed in presses.
(5) Air drying outdoors must be done with caution. Sunlight and heat may
dry certain materials too quickly, causing distortion. Wind may blow
items around and damage them.
(6) Light-weight, single signature pamphlets may be hung on lines to dry.
Make lines no more than 5 to 6 feet long and space at least ½’’ apart.
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V. Recovery
D. In-House
Treatment
ii. Damp volumes
Wet beyond the edges but not soaked through; may require some interleaving;
can be air dried.
(1) Interleaving is used to soak up excess moisture to speed the air drying
process. Use only plain newsprint, paper towels, or unprinted office
paper to interleave.
(2) Begin in front and work toward center, interleaving every 25 leaves or so,
making sure book can stand upright when done. Repeat, working from
back to center. Be careful no to interleave too much, or the spine will
become distorted.
(3) Change interleaving frequently, placing new sheets at different places
from the last, and in such a way that book can stand on the opposite end
with each change.
(4) When interleaving sheets no longer come out wet, continue air drying as
usual.
iii. Wet volumes
Wet to some degree throughout, but not saturated and dripping; require
interleaving
(1) Air dry these materials only if there is a small number, since they will
require careful attention to dry before mold appears
(2) Interleave as for damp volumes, but change interleaving more frequently.
Remove wet interleaving from drying area to prevent an increase in
humidity in the area.
(3) Wet paper tears very easily, so handle with care
(4) Continually be on the lookout for mold growth
iv. Saturated volumes
Soaked through; will require intense individual attention to air dry; proceed
only if there are a small number (otherwise freeze).
(1) Cover drying surface with plastic sheeting, then absorbent paper. Change
paper frequently and remove from drying area to prevent increase in
humidity
(2) Do not open saturated volumes, since wet paper is very fragile. Covers
may be opened slightly to support volumes.
(3) Stand volumes on their heads and let water drain from books. Do not
squeeze books to remove extra water. Reverse standing position of books
each time paper is changed.
(4) Waxed paper may be placed between cover and endsheet to prevent
staining from cover material dyes.
(5) When most of the water has drained off, proceed as for wet volumes.
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V. Recovery
D. In-House
Treatment
v. Special considerations for water damaged books
(1) Coated paper:
Do not allow books with coated paper to dry closed, since pages will stick
together permanently. Keep volumes wet until they may be treated.
Freeze drying is preferred, but if air drying, interleaving must be placed
between every leaf
(2) Muddy books:
Remove muddy books from recovery area, preferably outside. Hold book
tightly closed and hold under cold running water, letting the water carry
off the dirt. Dab covers gently with a sponge, do not rub. Do not sponge
the pages or their edges, as this can force mud into the pages and cause
further damage. Freeze or air dry. Some mud may be best removed after
the item is dry.
Do not wash vellum, parchment or leather bindings, fragile or brittle
books, or paper with water-soluble media.
(3) Moldy volumes:
Mold can develop within 48 to 72 hours in an environment where the
temperature is over 75 degrees and the humidity over 60%. Moldy
materials should be separated out to prevent further contamination. They
may be frozen to inhibit further growth and await treatment.
To treat a moldy item, first dry it out thoroughly with fans and/or natural
ventilation. Sunlight will kill mold, but its ultraviolet radiation also
damages paper. When the item is dry, gently brush or vacuum the mold
off in a well-ventilated area, away from any other items that may become
contaminated. When working in a mold-infested area, use protective
equipment (respirator, particle dust mask, rubber gloves). Many people
are severely allergic to mold spores, and some mold is toxic.
All books that have been dried should be monitored for a few days to
ensure that they do not develop mold. Once mold has bloomed on an
item, it will reappear whenever environmental conditions allow.
b.Photographs and other film-based media
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V. Recovery
D. In-House
Treatment
Refer to Section V.B.4 for “Salvage of Water-Soaked Photographic Collections”
Chart. Although the chart may be easier to read, it does not contain as much detail
as the instructions below. Both sections should be used together.
Information about salvaging electronic and film-based media may also be found at
www.panix.com/~vidipax
www.nml.com
www.crica.com/specs
i. Photographs
Processes that should be salvaged first include: ambrotypes, tintypes,
collodion wet plate negatives, gelatin dry plate negatives, lantern slides,
deteriorated nitrate or safety film, autochromes, carbon prints,
woodburytypes, and deteriorated or unhardened gelatin prints. Many of these
processes will not survive any immersion.
Processes that are more stable in water include: daguerrotypes, salted paper
prints, albumen prints, collodion prints, platinum prints, and cyanotypes.
Films (plastic based materials) appear to be more stable in water than prints,
so prints should be salvaged first.
(1) Air Drying Photographs
(a) Separate photographs from enclosures, frames and from each other. If
stuck together or adhered to glass, set aside for freezing and consult a
photograph conservator.
(b) Allow excess water to drain off photographs. Do not wipe or blot the
surface.
(c) Spread photos out to dry, face up, laying flat on absorbent material
like newsprint, blotter or paper towel.
(d) Photos that curl during drying may be flattened later.
(2) Drying Frozen Photographs
(a) Thaw photos slowly and proceed with air drying. As a group of
photos thaws, individual ones can be carefully peeled away and laid
flat to dry.
(b) Vacuum thermal drying is not recommended for photos. Vacuum
freeze drying may be used, although gelatin photographs may mottle
during the procedure.
(c) Wet collodion glass plates must never be freeze-dried, as they will not
survive. This is true for all similar collodion processes such as
ambrotypes, collodion lantern slides, and tintypes.
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V. Recovery
D. In-House
Treatment
ii. Slides
(1) Ideally, slides should be removed from their frames for drying and then
remounted.
(2) Slides can be rinsed and dipped in “Photo-flo” slide cleaner, or a similar
commercial product. They can then be air dried by being hung on a line
or propped on edge.
(3) Slides mounted between glass must be removed, or they will not dry.
iii. Motion Pictures
Open the film can, fill it with water and replace lid. Pack into cartons lined
with garbage bags. Ship to film processor for rewashing and drying.
iv. Microfilm
(1) It may be cheaper to replace service copies than to salvage them, but
master negatives may be irreplaceable and salvage the only option.
(2) Put rolls of microfilm in water-tight containers and fill with cold water.
(3) Send to microfilm processor within 72 hours for washing and drying.
Eastman Kodak Company’s Microfilm Disaster Recovery Lab in
Rochester, NY provides free reprocessing of all Kodak microfilm
damaged in water-related disasters. Contact them at 1-800-243-8811 to
learn more about this service and about packaging procedures for shipping
wet microfilm.
v. Microfiche
Microfiche can be separated and air dried with some success, but are prone to
water spotting and scratching. Results are usually not satisfactory, so it is
probably best to replace.
c. Magnetic Media
Water is especially damaging to magnetic media. The longer items have been
wet, the greater the damage will be. Success rates for salvage of magnetic media
are extremely low and the process is labor-intensive. If media are dried and
saved, they can still damage play-back equipment. A good rule of thumb is not
to salvage commercially available tapes and disks. Replacement may be
cheaper. For unique magnetic media, the following may be attempted.
Wear gloves when handling, and avoid scratching the surface.
i. Tapes (audio or video)
(1) Break open cassettes, only if tape is damaged.
(2) Wash tape, still wound on reel, in clean water if dirty.
(3) Air dry on sheets of newsprint, still wound on reel.
(4) Re-record.
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V. Recovery
D. In-House
Treatment
ii. Floppy Disks
(1) Carefully slit open disk jacket and remove disk.
(2) Rinse off any dirt with clean water.
(3) Fan dry by hand (do not use blow dryer).
(4) When crisis is over, insert the disk into a new jacket (cannibalized from a
new disk; this can be reused) and copy with a disk drive. The drive heads
should be cleaned frequently.
iii. Sound Recordings-Vinyl
(1) Remove disks from sleeves and jackets.
(2) If labels have separated, mark center of disk with grease pencil and save
label to dry like other paper materials.
(3) Wash disks in clean water, following the circular grooves of the record.
(4) Dry thoroughly, again following the grooves, with a soft, lint-free cloth, or
air dry on supports that permit free circulation of air. Disks may be strung
on fishing line to dry.
(5) Jackets may be dried as other paper materials.
iv. Compact Discs
(1) Hold disc by outer edges.
(2) Working from the center in a straight line, wipe off water or dirt with a
soft, lint-free cloth.
d. Unbound Paper Materials
i. Loose papers can be dried by spreading them on newsprint in areas with good
air circulation. Cover with paper if necessary to keep them from blowing
away. Flattening can be done later as needed. Where the information on the
page is the only thing of value, documents only need to be dried enough to be
handled and photocopied.
ii. If the number of documents is large, or if their value is such that individual
attention will be needed, the items should be frozen as found. Do not remove
from file cabinet drawers, document cases or folders. Do not turn containers
upside down to empty or drain. Free the edges of prints or paper objects in
mats and frames, if possible.
iii. A stack of wet unbound papers can be separated, but the process takes great
care and is very time consuming:
(1) Place a sheet of Mylar on top of the stack (Mylar is a type of clear plastic
material. Consult with Book Repair Technician for a supply.)
(2) Rub gently with a bone folder. The wet paper will adhere to the Mylar.
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V. Recovery
D. In-House
Treatment
(3) Gently peel back the top sheet and place it on a piece of uprinted paper.
(4) Carefully remove the sheet of Mylar.
(5) Place wet sheet, supported by the paper, on newsprint and air dry.
e. Fire-damaged Materials
In case of fire, all burned or charred materials will have to be removed from the
area before ventilation and air cleaning can be effective. Items beyond salvage
can be put in boxes or garbage bags and removed. Those to be salvaged can be
moved to the recovery area. Handle materials very carefully to avoid further
damage.
i. Smoke and soot removal
(1) If the only damage to books and papers is soot on the outside, it may be
possible to remove most of it with a chemical sponge. Valuable books,
documents and works of art should be treated by a professional
conservator.
(2) To clean a book, wear latex gloves and hold the book tightly closed. Use
a gentle stroking motion in one direction away from the spine toward the
foredge on the head and tail, and the same kind of technique on the
foredge, spine and covers. Continue wiping until no more soot or debris
can be removed without damaging the surface area.
ii. Deodorizing
Charcoal and/or baking soda can be used to absorb the odor of fire-damaged
materials. If there are a small number of affected materials, place them and the
absorbent material in an enclosed container. Do not allow the charcoal or
baking soda to come in direct contact with items. Wait a few days, until the
smell can no longer be detected.
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