9.6 Handling Specific Media Types of Depository Materials

The following provides a brief discussion of the proper handling of various media types of depository materials.

9.6.A Paper Publications

• Paper depository materials NEEDS to be stored in a proper storage environment with year-round temperature and humidity control, proper air circulation, and limited exposure to ultraviolet light. High temperature and humidity encourage pests and mildew, while too little humidity causes paper to dry out and become brittle. The recommended temperature for paper is in the 65 to 70 °F range, and relative humidity for paper should be maintained at 40 to 55 percent.
• You may choose to turn off lights in the stacks when they are not needed as light can damage materials. Dust and dirt damage materials also, so good housekeeping practices are important. The stacks should be clean with no food, drink, or tobacco allowed. Your depository library will want to be sure to clean books and shelves on a regular schedule and inspect for mildew and mold. Improper shelving practices also cause damage, particularly jamming books into a tight space or letting them flop without a bookend. For ribbed shelving, you can create a flat surface by lining with acid-freeboard.
• Your depository library is strongly encouraged to develop and document policies for the proper use and handling of materials by both staff and users. These policies can be as simple as how to remove books from the shelves and how to replace them properly, or how to photocopy without damaging the material.
• Your paper depository collection should be maintained in a comparable physical condition as commercially purchased library materials through the use of proper preservation practices including binding when desirable. As with other collections in the library, binding together older issues of depository serials will lengthen their life. Heavily used publications are good candidates for binding, especially volumes of local or regional interest. For recent publications, you will want to balance the need for providing timely user access with the desire to bind because the publication will be inaccessible while at the bindery.
• Some government publications arrive as loose, unbound pages, and binding may not always be appropriate. Your depository NEEDS to purchase a variety of binders to house these publications. Suggested sizes to have on hand are three-ring binders in both one-inch and three-inch thicknesses, and metal pronged report covers. Some paper publications such as bookmarks, pamphlets, and one- or two-page newsletters should be housed in acid-free protective envelopes to avoid being crushed or lost among the books, or other pamphlets housed in a vertical file.
• Periodicals and other sets of thin publications that sit together on the shelf can benefit from being housed in file boxes which will keep them neat, upright and prevent them flopping over nearby materials or bookends.
• Folio shelving or flat drawers should be provided for oversized publications. You will want to consider protecting oversized publications lying on folio shelves with acid-free folders to keep out dust and prevent mishandling.

9.6.B Posters

• Your will want to house posters flat in a sturdy acid-free case that supports the posters while protecting them from dust, light, and other environmental damage. Alternative housing includes rolling them or housing them vertically in files. Do not fold a poster that arrives flat or rolled. It is preferable to flatten any posters that are shipped folded.
• The preservation and proper housing of posters need not prevent them from being viewed by the public. Your depository should display posters whenever possible, circulate them, or selectively house individual posters or a series of posters at other libraries, schools, or other institutions where they might be seen and used.

9.6.C Maps

• If your depository selects and receives maps, they are subject to the same processing procedures as other depository materials. Whether the maps are housed directly in the library or housed off-site, it is your library's responsibility to ensure that maps which arrive through the FDLP are handled according to the practices established in this Handbook.
• You can house sheet maps and charts in sturdy, acid-free map cases. The best method of storing maps is flat in map cabinets or vertically in plain files. Rolling maps is acceptable but makes access and use more difficult. Only those maps pre-folded by the publisher may be stored folded.
• As with any paper materials, maps need year-round temperature and humidity control with proper air circulation and limited exposure to ultraviolet light.
• Clearly labeled and well-arranged maps can be identified and selected from map cabinets with the least wear and tear. In most situations, your will want to keep map indexes near the maps. In situations where the maps are not directly accessible to the user, you might want to house the map indexes along with other reference materials.
• Map drawers that are too full increase the weight on each map as they are pulled out, filed, and re-filed increasing the chances that maps may be torn or damaged. Maps will receive better care by making sizeable workspaces available to users using the maps, as well as providing sufficient space for staff to re-file the maps.
• You should take care not to obscure important images or information when labeling and stamping maps. Also avoid applying adhesive labels, security strips, or stamps on the back of a map where it can bleed through and obscure information on the front of the map. The lower edge is an ideal place to record call numbers. Searching through a stack of maps labeled at the bottom edge is more efficient and distresses maps the least.
• Your depository maps are sometimes housed in a different location some distance from the rest of the depository collection. If the location of the map collection is not under the administrative control of your depository library, a selective housing memorandum of understanding MUST be initiated between your depository and the selective housing site. See HYPERLINK \l "_Appendix_D._" Appendix D in this Handbook for more information.

9.6.D Microfiche

• You should house microfiche in a climate-controlled area with minimal variation in temperature and relative humidity. Standard guidelines for the recommended storage temperature for microform collections are 68 °F with a constant humidity level of 40 percent plus or minus 5 percent. The most important factor to consider is constancy. The temperature and humidity range should not fluctuate often and should not go above 75 °F or 50 percent humidity. Temperatures and humidity higher than the recommended levels can encourage fungal growth, blemishes, and chemical deterioration of the microfiche. Temperatures lower than recommended can cause brittleness. Proper air-conditioning generally provides these conditions. However, you should check the temperature and humidity periodically to insure that proper storage conditions remain constant.
• When possible, to help control the climate, microfiche should not be stored against outer walls, nor on the ground or top floors of a building. Microfiche should be kept away from air vents, radiators, and direct sunlight. Do not store microfiche near photocopiers, chemical duplicators, fresh paint, or other chemicals that may cause reaction.
• All microforms are extremely photosensitive and should never be exposed to direct light except when in use on a microform reader. They can also be damaged by electric light. You will want to designate a place where there is not an excessive amount of light for staff and users to return microfiche; this should preferably be in a closed lidded box.
• Steel cabinets made with baked-on inert enamel finishes, stainless steel, or aluminum are recommended as microfiche storage facilities. They should have a fire rating of at least one hour. Plastic boxes, unless constructed of non-deteriorating plastic, can adversely affect microfiche. When using cabinets, your library staff should be aware of the weight-bearing capacity of the library area in which the collection is located. Storage containers should not be tightly packed; room should be allowed for growth and expansion.
• Microfiche MUST be stored vertically, sitting on their bottom edge and upright, in acid-free containers. The envelopes in which the GPO microfiche are shipped are acid-free, as are the inserted dividers. All paper products used in the storage of microforms (boxes, dividers, labels, and envelopes) should have a pH factor of 7.0 or above. You will want to stamp envelopes with acid-free ink, but it is not necessary to remove the microfiche when stamping the envelopes if normal force is used.
• Microfiche cards measure approximately 100 cards per inch if housed “nude” or 70 cards per inch if housed in acid free sleeves such as the ones GPO provides in their shipments. Microfiche storage containers should not be tightly packed; room should be allowed for growth and expansion. None of the variant forms of microfilm (silver halide, diazo, vesicular, Ilfochrome) should be stored in the same drawer as other forms. Because close contact between the differing forms can result in chemical reactions which, while not dangerous to your library itself (unlike some forms of microfilm created through the 1950s which could in extreme cases prove flammable if improperly stored) will reduce or destroy the usefulness of the film itself.
• Microfiche cards are rarely labeled by type (i.e., a card or shipping list will not say “diazo” or “vesicular”). Essentially all government publications distributed on microfiche by GPO are diazo, though reprints from private vendors may vary. A general rule you can follow is that if a microfiche card is of an observably different style from other microfiche in a drawer, it is best to remove it to its own drawer. For example, the emulsion side of silver halide microfiche is matte and the non-emulsion side is glossy, while diazo microfiche is glossy on both sides.
• Your will want to avoid using devices to bind the fiche together, such as paper clips which can cause scratches or other damage. Rubber bands used to keep the microfiche together during depository shipments can cause decomposition and should be removed before filing. Rubber bands often contain sulfur and are particularly damaging to microfiche over extended periods of time.
• Microfiche should be examined periodically for signs of deterioration. Although an examination of each microfiche in large collections would be impossible, your library staff should inspect a representative sample on a regular basis, at least once per year. Should problems such as fungal growth, blemishes, or chemical deterioration of the fiche be detected, your will want to make note of them and attempt to determine the cause and how much of the collection is affected. Information about these periodic inspections should be included in the depository’s preservation plan. For more information on preservation, see chapter 8 in this Handbook.
• To maintain optimum conditions, the library staff who process or handle the microfiche on a regular basis may want to consider using soft cotton gloves to avoid getting fingerprints on the microfiche. Your staff should always wear clean, cotton gloves when handling silver halide microfiche. If the microfiche does become dirty or difficult to read, you can clean them using a dry, soft, lint-free cloth or use a microfiche cleaning solvent with the cloth. You will want to be sure that the cleaning solvent can be used with the type of microfiche to be cleaned.

9.6.E Tangible Electronic Products

• As a minimum standard, the maintenance of tangible electronic media distributed through the FDLP should be comparable to maintenance standards established for tangible electronic media acquired by the library through commercial sources.
• GPO has distributed a variety of tangible electronic materials. Currently, CD-ROMs and DVDs make up the majority of tangible electronic products distributed. However, floppy disks, videos, and other formats have also been distributed over the years. Owing to the delicate nature of tangible electronic materials, you should house them in an environment that protects them from bending, scratching, or crushing. Exposure to dust, temperature extremes, and magnetic fields (such as telephones, security strip desensitizers, etc.) should be avoided.
• Even though the longevity of optical media is still being studied, practical measures can be taken to extend the life of CD-ROMs and DVDs. Soil from inks, solvents or other pollutants may influence the effectiveness of a disc. Cleaning discs to remove such contaminates is recommended. Commercial disc cleaning kits are available, or a soft, lint-free, cotton cloth may be used. Avoid using lint-filled, paper cloths that may scratch the disc. The disc should be wiped from the center out to the edge, avoiding a circular motion.
• In general, tangible electronic products should not be shelved alongside other materials on the regular shelves unless first placed in containers designed to prevent damage to electronic products. Because CDs and DVDs distributed through FDLP arrive in a variety of protective covers, your library should purchase a supply of CD cases and make provisions for labeling CDs, DVDs, and their cases which may include additional labeling supplies. These containers MUST clearly indicate that a tangible electronic product is inside to warn your library staff not to desensitize the publications for circulation. Your library’s magnetic desensitizer will damage the products. In addition to fully labeling protective cases, your library may consider labeling the disk itself. Many inks, if put on a disk, can shorten its life; so be sure to use archival markers instead. Small CD labels designed for library use are available printed with your library’s identifying information. These small, donut-shaped labels cover only the clear center of the disk.
• Your depository library should purchase furniture and equipment that is designed for using and housing tangible electronic products. The preferred solution is an arrangement that both protects the product and allows it to be readily accessible through local area networks. Cabinets for CDs and DVDs are available, both small multi-drawer tabletop units and full height floor units. CDs and DVDs can often also be stored in conventional microfiche cabinets. Because CD cabinets designed to hold traditional single cases might not accommodate double cases, albums, or the taller DVD cases, your library will NEED either repackage the products or purchase appropriate cabinets for the various media in its collection.
• If a floppy disk is received, make a backup copy, and store the original in a separate location. Rather than circulate any floppy disks, the library should encourage users to create their own copy of the disk. If your depository library collection contains publications on floppy disk, you should offer users the ability to copy floppies. Indiana University, in partnership with GPO, has also made data from 200 floppy disks available online through the Floppy Disk Project.
• Some depository data files and software may be appropriate for loading on computer hard drives and local area networks. Your depository library should decide which products are used frequently enough to warrant hard-disk storage. When loading data files to hard disks for public access, precautions MUST be taken to prevent users from altering the contents of the files.
• Whether tangible electronic products are allowed to circulate or not is at the discretion of your depository library. CDs and DVDs may be circulated without undue concern for their physical condition. If your library does not have the resources to support some tangible electronic products, an alternative to circulation is to provide selective housing for tangible electronic materials offsite, such as in a branch library that can support the products.
• Some tangible electronic products have paper documentation that describes the product, provides instructions on setting up the product, or provides instructions on how to use the product's software. Such documentation is critical for managing the information product. If documentation is housed separately from the tangible electronic product, a method MUST be established to direct users to the paper documentation. Conversely, documentation shelved in the stacks should be annotated to direct users to the specially housed tangible electronic products.