Paper

Guidelines for storing and displaying flat paper

Good storage and display environments can prevent physical damage and help to slow chemical deterioration. This increases the life of paper items. Poor storage and display conditions affect all items in a collection. The effects are not always immediately or dramatically obvious. Paper changes gradually over time; but once changes have occurred they are irreversible or involve complex and costly treatment. The following sections cover storage and display conditions, options, materials and techniques.

In an ideal world, the areas used for the storage and display of flat paper, and indeed the entire building housing a collection, would be environmentally controlled. Air-conditioning would be maintained constantly and monitored, the temperature and relative humidity would be maintained at optimum levels, the air would be filtered, light levels would be controlled and there would be ample space and funding for every item to be appropriately framed or housed.

Unfortunately, few of us are lucky enough to live in such a world. But it is important to be aware of the optimum storage and display conditions for paper; and to work towards achieving them using the resources available, a lot of ingenuity and a little compromise.

Ideal conditions for storing and displaying paper

The following conditions will help to protect your collections of paper.

Keep the temperature constant and moderate. The optimum temperature is 18–22⁰C. This range accommodates people's comfort, as well as the need for a low storage and display temperature.

Keep the relative humidity as constant as possible—in the range 45-55%. Do not hang or store paper items on outer walls, on walls outside bathrooms or in areas where there might be steam from a kettle or urn.

Keep light to the minimum necessary for the activity. Ideally, paper should be stored in the dark. Light levels in display areas should be as low as possible, and display periods should be limited.

• The recommended lighting level for display of paper items is 50 lux or less.

• The UV content of the light should be no greater than 75µW/lm and preferably below 30µW/lm.

• All light sources in working and display areas should be filtered for UV radiation.

• Avoid using heat-producing lights and spotlights.

Items need to be fully supported.

Areas should be kept clean and well-ventilated. Dust and other pollutants should be kept to a minimum.

Steps should be taken to protect collections against insect and mould attack.

Good housekeeping procedures should be enforced with regular monitoring of storage and display areas.

General storage guidelines

Wherever possible, the storage site should be in a central area of the building where the effects of climatic fluctuations and extremes will be minimal. That is, away from external walls and not in the basement or the attic.

The storage site should not have any water, drainage or steam pipes, particularly at ceiling level. Leaking pipes can cause a lot of damage.

The storage system used should be reasonably easy to use and should allow easy access. Ease of use and ease of access usually means things will get less damaged during handling. Frustration with a difficult system often leads to damage.

Wherever possible, flat paper items should be stored horizontally in boxes.

Dividers should be placed within storage boxes or filing cabinets. Dividers reduce the movement of items with the storage system and provide additional support to the stored items.

Layers of storage should be provided. This approach gives maximum protection from:

• fluctuations in relative humidity and temperature. This is especially important in areas where the ideal levels of relative humidity and temperature cannot be achieved: the multiple layers of storage act as a buffer zone between the paper items and extreme or fluctuating conditions;

• dust, pollutants and insects; and

• the damaging effects of light.

Wherever possible, each paper item should have its own protective wrapper or enclosure to protect it.

Further layers of protection should be provided. Individually wrapped paper items should be boxed.

Storage and housing systems should be labelled on the outside so items can be located easily without having to search through and inspect every similar item.