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2
introduction
CURRENT SITUATION AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
The National Archives and Records Service MARSH ~ was organized in 1934.
Permanently valuable documents that were in storage in various agencies of the
federal government were collected to form the holdings of the National Archives.
These holdings have been increasing rapidly ever since. The quantity of docu-
ments is vast and consists mostly of paper records of various shapes, sizes, and
physical conditions. Today there are over 3 billion pieces of paper ;Calmes et al.,
1985), and this figure is increasing at the rate of close to 3 percent annually.
Tremendous archiving problems have been created because of both the volume of
material to be stored and the loss of stability of large quantities of paper-based
records already in storage. State governments have similar archiving problems
{National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators,
1986J, which, although not specifically discussed in this report, appear to be
comparably urgent.
Many documents are over 150 years old, and a large number have deteriorated
significantly. About a half-billion pages of historical information are at a very high
risk of being lost {see Table 2-1~. A significant percentage of the total collection
consists of modern papers rather than older records. For example, rapid action is
required to prevent information loss from "quick-copy" reproductions such as
stencil, Mimeograph, and Thermofax produced during the 1940s, 1950s, and
1960s. It is estimated that there are 270 million sheets of paper in this category
alone. A pilot survey of National Archives documents estimated that 98.8 percent
are quite acidic, with a phi less than 4.5 {Calmes et al., 1982~. This is of concern
because of the known higher degradation rate of acidic paper.
*In April 1985 the National Archives and Records Service (NARS) of the General Services
Administration became an independent agency, renamed National Archives and Records Adminis-
tration (NARA). In this report, the agency is referred to as the National Archives or NARA.
5
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6
PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL RECORDS
TABLE 2-1 Survey of High-Risk Paper Documents
Apparent Condition
Already suffered major damage
Subject to damage by frequent handling
Deteriorating "quick-copy" reproductions
of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s
Total at high risk of loss
SOURCE: Calmes et al., 1985.
Approximate
Number of Pages
160 million
100 million
270 million
530 million
In 2 decades, the Archives holdings will grow to well over 4 billion sheets.
Since NARA usually receives papers many years after they have been prepared or
collected by the agencies, many of these papers may already have deteriorated.
This will increase the numbers given in Table 2-1.
Materials must be preserved, and those in an advanced state of deterioration
must be treated to retard further degradation or must be copied. If they are to be
copied, a decision must be made as to whether they should be copied onto paper,
film, magnetic tape, or optical disk. In addition, a retention policy must be formu-
lated for handling original materials that are to be copied for which the originals do
not have any intrinsic value* [National Archives and Records Service, 1982~. It is
estimated that about 75 percent of the documents have no intrinsic value-that is,
they need not be retained in their original form to preserve the information
jCalmes et al., 1985~. The problem is large because of the large number of paper
documents involved.
NARA should take action, and the key question is what action should be
taken. Policies developed must be based on the best technical input that is avail-
able today. To obtain such guidance, NARA requested an independent study by the
National Materials Advisory Board of the National Research Council, and a com-
mittee was appointed to examine the options for action. The committee was
composed of individuals having the wide background and experience required for
this study {see Appendix C).
SCOPE OF STUDY
The specific scope of the committee's inquiry, as defined by NARA, was to
make recommendations on how to handle original paper records and on the advis-
ability of transferring information from original paper records to media having
acceptable permanence, including media with limited life but capable of being
recopied. The committee was also to make recommendations on the disposition
of the original document if the information is copied. In the course of its delibera-
tions, the committee considered some important issues that will affect the preser-
vation of future holdings:
1. Only paper records in current holdings were to be considered. Nontextual
items, such as motion pictures, photographs, sound recordings, and machine
*Specialized terms are defined in Appendix B.
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INTRODUCTION
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Document conservation Jaboratoryat the NationaJArchives. Deteriorated
paper records are treated to slow the ravages of time andhan~ing.
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8
PRESERVATION OF HISTORICAL RECORDS
readable records, were outside the scope of this report, as were such highly special-
ized materials as maps, artistic prints and drawings, large ledgers, and small
. .
c Lanes.
2. Only paper having no intrinsic value was to be included in the recommenda-
tions for transfer of information from the original documents and disposition of
the latter.
3. NARA's prime function is to preserve the documentary heritage of the
United States and to provide timely service to both government and scholarly
researchers {Calmes et al., 1985~. In most cases rapid access is not of prime impor-
tance at the National Archives and was not considered by the committee. Preser-
vation, therefore, is the primary goal.
OUTLINE OF PROPOSED ACTIONS
This report is divided into chapters that discuss the relative advantages and
disadvantages of particular approaches. Several of these proposed actions are not
mutually exclusive and can be done concurrently.
Environmental Considerations
Chapter 3 covers the effects of temperature, relative humidity, and pollu-
tants, particularly as they relate to the National Archives. Pollutant levels,
removal systems, and recommended standards are covered. Both the benefits to be
gained and the problems associated with environmental changes must be consid-
ered. A key question is to what degree environmental changes alone, or in combi-
nation with other approaches, reduce the threat of deterioration. It is believed that
many documents, even on moderately acid paper, that are very infrequently used
deteriorate slowly if they are properly housed and stored.
Paper
Chapters 4 through 7 discuss the properties of various materials that can be
used for copying deteriorated documents. Paper is of greatest interest since it not
only is a copying material but also comprises the largest holdings by far of the
NationalArchives. Thus, Chapter 4 gives a detailed discussion of the manufacture
and behavior of paper. The discussion also covers copying deteriorated documents
onto more permanent paper or treating the existing documents to prolong their
life, or both. Considerations for copying are the life expectancy of currently avail-
able papers, the permanency of inks and toners, and the advantages and disadvan-
tages of storing paper documents. Treatment of existing documents involves the
benefits and problems associated with the various deacidification processes.
Photographic Film
Chapter 5 covers the types of photographic film available and their life expect-
ancies. Advantages are the predictable long life, high storage capacity, human-
readableform, and the existence of recognized standards. Disadvantages are film's
susceptibility to damage from adverse storage conditions, cost of verification of
the copying process,\ and low direct manipulability.
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INTRODUCTION
9
Magnetic Recording Media
Considerations for magnetic recording media discussed in Chapter 6 include
the stability of magnetic materials, the chemical stability of the component lay-
ers, and the mechanical stability of the tape roll. Problems associated with wear
and the continued availability of appropriate hardware and software are critical
factors. Advantages include high data storage density and data manipulability.
Optical Disks
The archival quality of optical disks is addressed in Chapter 7, as is the practi-
cality of continued recopying should disks degrade. The advantages of data com-
paction and access time must be balanced against the problems of the archival life
of the hardware and software.
Semiconductors
The feasibility of storing information on semiconductors is briefly addressed
in Appendix A.
Discussion of Findings
Chapter 8 compares the advantages and risks associated with each of the
options discussed in the earlier chapters. A decision-tree approach is described
that recommends various approaches, taking into consideration the nature, con-
dition, and use of the records.
REFERENCES
Calmes, A., K. R. Eberhardt, and K. Kabadar. 1982. Pilot survey by National Archives and Records
Service {NARS) and National Bureau of Standards (NBS1. Unpublished.
Calmes, A., R. Schofer, and K. R. Eberhardt. 1985. National Archives and Records Service (NARS1
Twenty Year Preservation Plan. NBSIR 85-2999, U.S. Department of Commerce, Gaithers-
burg, Maryland.
National Archives and Records Service. 1982. Staff Information Paper 21, Intrinsic Value in Archival
Material.
National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators. 1986. Preservation
Needs in State Archives. Albany, New York: National Association of Government Archives and
Records Administrators.
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Pasadena, California, underheavysmogcondinonsandon a clear day.
Outdoorpollutants contribute significantly to the deterioration of
histonca] records.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
records service
