Derived from Betty Walsh, Western Association for Art Conservation Newsletter (May 1988)

Great care must be taken in handling wet library and archive materials. All materials are very fragile, including their protective enclosures. When wet, paper retains less than 10 percent of its tensile strength. If the original protective enclosures have disintegrated, replace them with new enclosures. Do not unpack structurally sound containers (although they may be reinforced by putting them in plastic crates). Fill cartons and crates three-quarters full with wet materials. Keep identification labels with objects. (Do not mark wet paper, but picture frames and reels can be marked with a grease pencil.) To prevent further damage, do not stack materials in piles or on the floor.

• Paper
• Books
• Paintings
• Floppy diskettes
• Sound and video recordings
• Photographic materials
• Motion pictures
• Microforms
• Parchment and vellum