Care and handling guidelines for digitisation of Library materials

DISCLAIMER: The National Library of Australia disclaims liability for the use of the information provided in these pages. The National Library of Australia accepts no responsibility for the loss occasioned as a direct or indirect result of the use of the information in these guidelines.

Care of our collection is paramount and correct handling is an important part of the digitisation process. Specific care and handling guidelines are prepared to aid Library staff in the digitisation of each collection to hand. These 'generic' guidelines are also observed. These guidelines should be applied to the special collection materials - maps, manuscripts, photographic items and artworks.

Anyone should receive instruction from a trained conservator before beginning any treatment of collection items.

General rules

  • Wash hands regularly to ensure they are clean at all times
  • Cotton gloves may be used, when appropriate, to handle most items - this will protect paper and other materials from grease, oils and dirt on bare hands. Gloves, however, can make fine work like turning pages more difficult - use discretion.
  • Always have plenty of room in your workspace to accommodate the material you are working with.
  • Transport items as much as possible in their folder and on an appropriate trolley.
  • Be careful when removing fragile items from storage enclosures .
  • Don't lick your fingers prior to handling any collection item .
  • Make sure items are fully supported at all times.
  • Works, particularly damaged ones, should be enclosed in Mylar (polyester) pockets, polyethylene or polypropylene bags or sleeves, archival mounts or folders when in storage or when being transported.
  • Avoid direct handling or touching of surface areas.
  • Always use pencil when working near collection items.
  • Never use collection items as a writing surface.
  • Do not stack different items together eg books and artworks.
  • No food and drinks near collection items; wash hands after eating.
  • Remove paper clips, pins and string carefully.
  • Replace metal pins and clips with plastic paper clips.
  • If you need to mark a page use a piece of clean white paper - do not use a post-it notes or other adhesive papers or plastics.
  • Avoid the temptation to repair items; do not use adhesive tape to repair, this will eventually discolour and damage the paper.
  • Consult a paper conservator to perform repairs or for further advice.

Maps, plans and charts

To capture oversize items such as maps, the National Library has a vacuum-easel on which the item can be held in place by suction whilst being scanned. A studio camera with a digital back is supported on a track system, which also makes setting up easier.

In general:

  • Be aware that maps and plans are difficult to handle because they are large. Make sure there is enough space to handle and work with them
  • When not in use store maps in a map cabinet.
  • Do not make new folds in maps or plans, as it will damage them.

Types of maps:

  • Hand-drawn maps and plans, prepared using inks, pencil or watercolours

  • Printed maps on machine made paper

  • Photo reproductions on plastic film, photosensitive papers or synthetic papers

  • Atlases and directories

  • Tracing paper

  • Butter maps

So called because they are printed on a particular type of tracing paper, butter maps often have a slight yellow tint. This type of tracing paper deteriorates quickly as the process of making it translucent makes them acidic. Once it becomes acidic the paper becomes brittle and hard to handle. Most of these maps should be repaired before digitisation. Some of these maps may be brittle and encapsulated in a polyester sleeve and should be scanned enclosed in this sleeve. As these maps are quite translucent they will take on a darker or lighter appearance depending on the background chosen. By placing a white piece of paper behind the map, details of the map are made clearer.

Photographic materials

Depending on the physical format, artworks and photographic material may be digitised using a flat-bed scanner, digital camera or film/slide scanner.

  • Ensure glass platen of the flat-bed scanner is clean; wipe with 'screen cleaner' instead of commercial detergents. The National Library uses a water-based streak free cleaner, CRC VDU 99.
  • Make sure the transparencies are securely in position. If your scanner comes with a negative holder use it to hold the film in place. If not, a clean, dust-free glass plate with bevelled edges can be placed on top of the film.

In general:

  • Store photographic items in archival plastic or paper sleeves.
  • Photographic emulsions are easily scratched and need to be protected when handling more than one photograph at a time. You can protect them by separating them or interleaving them - ideally with archival materials. Avoid placing on top of each other.
  • Don't mend photographs using self-adhesive sticky tape of any kind. These tapes deteriorate and will stain and damage the photograph. .
  • Be careful removing fragile slides and transparencies from boxes or sleeves, be sure to place slides back into their pocket properly.
  • Don't lick your fingers prior to lifting the transparencies or negatives.
  • Handle negatives and transparencies by their edges or use gloves.
  • Labels and identification stamps should not be applied directly to photographic material. ID material should be placed on the packaging. Stabilo (or similar) or B grade pencils can be used to write on the verso of paper-based prints. Stabilo and B pencils are available from art or stationery stores.
  • Never use metal pins, staples, paper clips, rubber bands or adhesive tape directly in contact with photographic materials.
  • Light boxes and scanners should be clean before placing photographic material on them.
  • Photographic material should be protected from extended exposure to light i.e. on light boxes and studio lights.
  • Do not use any water-based solvents such as window cleaner or film cleaner on photographic material. Improper cleaning of photographic materials can cause serious damage such as permanent staining, abrasion and loss of binder or image. Use a soft brush or photographers blower brush to clean dusty negatives or photographs. Consult a photographic conservator to perform repairs or for further advice on cleaning.

Types of photographic materials:

  • Glass plate negatives

Glass plate negatives or transparencies are fragile because of the nature and age of the glass.

  • When handling use a mat of soft material to place glass material on.
  • Do not leave glass plates on light boxes for over long period of time, it may soften the gelatine emulsion.
  • Nitrate film

Nitrate film can be hazardous as it can self-combust in some circumstances and can be difficult to extinguish when ignited. Nitrate should be stored separately from other collection material. When nitrate film deteriorates it can produce nitric acid fumes, which can damage other collection material stored in the vicinity.

  • Wear gloves or house items in polyethylene sleeves so they can be handled. Deteriorated nitrate materials may cause skin rash.
  • Work in a well-ventilated area.
  • Cellulose acetate film

Cellulose acetate film is also known as 'safety film' and has been widely used as a film base since early 1950. When acetate film starts to deteriorate it gives off acetic acid vapour, this phenomenon is known as the 'vinegar syndrome', because the vapour smells like vinegar. Once deterioration progresses the base material shrinks and the emulsion later starts to warp and wrinkle creating a web-like pattern. A pink or blue discolouring can also occur.

  • Wear gloves or handle items in a plastic sleeve.
  • Work in a well-ventilated area.
  • Photographic prints (black & white or colour)
  • Photographic prints are commonly gelatin or albumen-based and in good condition. However, broken, torn, or cracked photographs should be handled in a polyethylene sleeves or with an archival board support.
  • If a photograph has a flaking binder layer or friable surface do not place the item on a flat-bed scanner - use an overhead camera.
  • Use a soft brush or blower brush to remove loose dirt or dust.
  • Consult a photographic conservator to perform repairs or for further advice.

Cropping images with decorative supports and borders

Most albumen prints and black and white gelatin prints from the early 1900s to late 1960s were adhered to a secondary support. Often these supports have a decorative edge applied by the photographer or owner. It is important to consider whether these decorative supports should be digitised as part of the object or as a whole. Digitising the support will increase the file size of the image but you will be documenting the item. So it is important to consider the purpose of recording these images. Decide if the record is for access or preservation or both.

Silver mirroring

Silver mirroring is a bluish metallic sheen appearing on the surface of silver based photographs or negatives as result of ageing. The oxidation ageing process causes silver particles to migrate to the surface of the emulsion.

It may be difficult to digitise these items as the scanning light may hit the silver mirroring areas causing the light to reflect. To avoid this, moving the item around to another position helps.

Artworks

These guidelines concern the care and handling of art works on paper (drawings, watercolours, prints and posters).

In general:

  • Artworks with friable media (pastels, charcoal and pencil drawings) are easily smudged. They should always be in a window mount with a cover over the window and stored in a poly bag. Never place these items in a polyester (Mylar) sleeve because static attraction may lift any looses particles from the surface.
  • Paper from the late 1800s will often be of poor quality and brittle. Because handling may cause further deterioration, this material will have specific careful handling needs. Please consult a conservator for further advice.
  • Do not stack unenclosed items.

When capturing:

  • Items without friable media and of a suitable size can be scanned on a flat bed scanner.
  • Use an overhead camera for pastels, graphite and charcoal drawings or oil paintings.
  • Gently place items face down onto the platen and avoid moving items around while they are face down.
  • If an item has a backing, which makes it larger than A3, and the backing does not need to be scanned, to fit it on the platen the scanner lid may be removed. To provide a dark background, use a piece of black cardboard or cloth to cover work instead of the lid.

Manuscript items

A manuscript collection can include sheet music, note books, diaries, correspondence, reports, drafts, maps, plans, charts, photographs, x-rays, pamphlets, forms and faxes. They are usually held together by string, pins or paper clips in a folder.

Most items can be digitised on the flatbed scanner. If you come across material with a friable surface such as pastel, watercolour, and graphite or charcoal they should be digitised with an overhead camera. Bound material should also be digitised under an overhead camera using a supporting cradle. Please refer to a conservator if you are unsure.

When capturing:

  • Scanner platens should be clean before scanning using 'screen cleaner' (see above).
  • Remove any staples or pins before scanning.
  • Wrinkled or folded items should be smoothed out by gentle pressure with your fingers and palms. If items are severely crumpled and damaged a conservator should treat the item.
  • Make sure items are fully supported at all times.
  • Bound sheet music items will be too large for the platen of a flatbed scanner. Place a support stand around the sides of the scanner to hold open sheets to prevent sagging and dangling while scanning.

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