Many library and archival materials can be cleaned using brushes, cleaning granules and vinyl erasers to remove surface dust and dirt. This dry cleaning technique can be used on book pages, manuscripts, maps and other paper documents. It can also be used, with care, to clean the paper support of photographic prints, but should never be used to clean the emulsion or image side of a photograph. Further, this cleaning technique should not be used on the bindings of books; the foredge, head or tail of a book text block; intaglio prints; pastel, pencil, or charcoal drawings; watercolour paintings; or any other media which is not firmly bound to the paper. Generally, cleaning works of art on paper should be referred to a professional conservator.

The use of appropriate storage enclosures for archival records is one of the most important elements of preservation. This information note, adapted from Off The Record volume 18, number 2 Spring 2001, discusses some of the recommended methods and materials to use for photographic records.

The following guidelines apply to most paper-based records including, documents, maps, prints, and drawings, small pamphlets, posters, ephemera, etc. The choice of one type of protective enclosure rather than another will depend upon the size and type of paper item being stored and your budget. Whether archival enclosures are custom-made or commercially produced, there is a wide variety available for the many forms of paper records. Adapted from Off The Record, volume 18, number 4, Fall 2001.

The use of appropriate storage methods and materials for archival records is one of the most important elements of preservation. This information note, adapted from Off The Record, volume 18, number 3, Summer 2001, addresses recommended procedures for safe storage of bound records, such as books and albums.