Preservation of Scrapbooks

Last week I attended a workshop on preservation of scrapbooks that was held at Bird Library, Syracuse University. The presenter was Deb Wender of the Northeast Document Conservation Center. What a great speaker! She was fun to listen to and I learned a lot. There were about 25 people in the class and each brought a scrapbook in need of preservation. The last hour, or so, Deb looked at each scrapbook and made recommendations on how to proceed. With the wide variety of problems presented we all walked away with a good idea of how to evaluate the needs of our collections.

As always I have a list of things that I think will be most helpful to me.

• Number all the pages, if there is loose material number it with the page number and them an item number. 2.1, 2.2, etc. Don’t use letters, you will always run out. Be consistent in your numbering and where you number.
• If you take apart a scrapbook and folder each page, store the scrapbook cover on top of the folders, so the pages are not deformed.
• Leather covers will develop red rot (We have this on a number of books in our closed collection). Make a polyester dust jacket. We will start doing this with leather covered books that we make phase boxes for, what a mess they make!
• Interleaf between the pages of a scrapbook with light weight, buffered paper to keep pages from sticking, or acids from discoloring. Don’t put the paper all the way into the binding.
• Instruct patrons (and workers) on how to support the pages as they turn them. Perhaps provide a metal spatula to help them keep their hands oils off any photos.
• The most important thing seems to be to provide a well fitted housing and store flat, fully supported. Don’t stack more than two high.
• Never use glue stick, glassine, or filmoplast.

So here I am, just back from vacation with information from three workshops that I need to integrate into my thinking and procedures. Reunion is Friday, so I guess that has to be the next focus.

Centennial Webpage

Jennie (see comments) asked about the software used to magnify the scrapbook pages, so I went to the source for the answer.

Michael DiMauro webdesigner in our Office of Communications.

“It is flash actionscript code that was developed specifically for this project. It is actually pretty simple, I won’t get into the details, but it involves loading one small and one large picture, and then only showing the part of the large picture you are mousing over.

“I am planning on added to the scrapbook when time allows. Eventually you will be able to open up the little booklets, etc. Also, I’m adding an index so that you will be able to navigate through a lot easier.”

Thanks, Michael. Great job!

Centennial Webpage

The William Smith Centennial webpage is up and running.  I had mentioned the student scrapbook  before and it looks great.  Take a look at  http://www.hws.edu/centennial/scrapbook.asp

We had talked about having it look like folded things open when you clicked on them.  That didn’t happen, but there is a great “Magnify” option in the upper right corner of the picture so you can read everything.

The whole website is very well done.  They even have a link to my Archives webpage in the menu under “History.”

Digitization of Scrapbooks

I’ve been away on vacation. Could you tell?

Tuesday I spent the day with the Colleges’ photographer,  Kevin Colton.  He photographed two scrapbooks for us for the William Smith College Centennial webpage they are putting together.

Once he was all set up he clicked and I turned pages.  I am very excited about seeing these on the web.  He would photograph a page, then if there was a folded item, e.g. program, news clip, I would open it and he would photgraph it again.  The webpage will be set up so if you click on the item it will appear to open.

The scrapbooks we did were the William Smith 50th Anniversary scrapbook, and the Francis Belle Eddy scrapbook.  Eddy was in the WSC charter class (1912) and seems to have documented her college life very well.  It will be great fun to read in detail. And the scrapbooks, already in bad condition will not have much further handling.  I think I will put them on display when they kick off the webpage, however.

Scrapbook preservation!

I just met with a group from our communications department.  The William Smith College centennial is coming up and they decided to photograph the WS 50^th anniversary scrapbook and a scrapbook from a member of the first class in their entirety.  I will work with the photographer to protect the material.  This will be great!  They will do a webpage, and I’ll be able to link to the scrapbooks from my finding aid!