Understanding which items in your collection are the highest priority can be just as crucial as identifying potential threats, especially when deciding what to rescue first in a disaster.

Pop Quiz: What Threats Endanger Archival Materials?

Pests or mold? Correct—they spread fast and demand urgent action. What about non-spreading threats? Mechanical wear, fading, or foxing are great examples!

Prioritize by focusing on spreading threats first, but don’t neglect stable ones. And don’t worry—an emergency plan (coming soon!) will help you stay prepared.

Floods, leaks, and sprinkler malfunctions can devastate collections, especially when water reaches 100%. Recovery depends on the materials affected—plastic on metal shelves fares differently than parchment on wood. While comprehensive solutions vary, preparation is key: monitor environments, create an emergency plan, and always store items at least half a foot off the ground.

Prevention is key when it comes to mold in archives. Keeping humidity and temperature in check is crucial, as mold thrives in conditions between 65-70% humidity and 75°F-85°F. If an outbreak does occur, prioritize personal protective equipment (PPE) and, at the first sign of health issues, contact a conservator.

Mold is every archivist's nightmare, thriving in humidity and mild temperatures, feeding on our precious collections. Like a B-Movie monster, it lurks until the right conditions activate it, causing irreversible damage unless fully removed.

Uninvited guests in archives, like bookworms (not actual worms!), can cause significant damage to collections. To prevent infestations, maintain stable temperature and humidity levels, and avoid crumbs, especially during the holidays!

Foxing, the brownish-red discoloration on paper, is often debated as being caused by mold, oxidation, or other factors. While repairing it should be left to professionals, you can preserve the document by digitizing it and storing it in proper, buffered housing at low humidity.

Light is a major threat to collection preservation, especially for thermal paper. Exposure to light causes fading or darkening of the ink, often seen on receipts. To protect such materials, store them in a cool, dry, and dark environment, and consider making photocopies on more stable paper.

To determine if paper is archival quality, examine its composition. Paper made with lignin will turn acidic over time, causing it to become brittle and yellow. True archival paper is both acid-free and lignin-free.

Acidic paper, much like moths to fabric, can cause irreversible damage to your documents, making them brittle and discolored. To prevent this, use buffered materials like folders and paper to create a protective barrier.

Gloves may seem like the perfect solution to protect your collection, but it's more complicated than that. Consider the materials you're handling, dexterity, and safety concerns. Always wash your hands and do research before handling items.

Mechanical wear is easy to spot, like when a box isn’t fully filled and materials slump or fold over. To fix this, use an adjustable spacer to replicate the pressure from other folders.

Preservation is key when it comes to maintaining archives—it’s often easier and cheaper than conservation or recovery. In Backlog’s new series on archival tips and tricks, we’ll explore how to prevent common issues, tackle manageable problems, and recognize when it’s time to call in a professional. Stay tuned to protect your treasures for generations to come!