Henry, Walter/Disprep.txt Outline for Flood Preparedness Exercise
Cons FileList
Filename:      Disprep.txt
Formal Name:   Disprep.txt
Description:   Outline for Flood Preparedness Exercise
Author:        Walter Henry 
Source:        Author
Local name:    na
Size:          48338
Subjects:      Flood response for Libraries, with emphasis on physical
               handling of materials.  Books and Paper.  Non-print
               materials.
Formal Date:   February, 1988
Last Revision: Sat  03-31-1990  14:52:54

                        Outline for Flood Preparedness Exercise
                                     Walter Henry
                             Stanford University Libraries
                                    February, 1988

        I. Introduction

            A.   Water itself is not inherently damaging to paper; in fact,
                 washing paper is a common conservation treatment.  The
                 problems in a flood arise because a book is not simply
                 paper, but is a complex composite object, composed of
                 varying materials that react differently to water.   These
                 materials swell, curl, stretch or shrink, at different rates
                 and to different degrees.  A system that, under normal
                 circumstances, functions as an integral machine, becomes,
                 when wet, a network of conflicting forces, pushing and
                 pulling against one another until one component or the other
                 gives way.

                 1.   Dry Paper has a normal water content equal to 5 - 7% of
                      its weight.  However, the water content can increase to
                      as much as 30% and the paper still feel reasonably dry
                      to the touch. Therefore, it can be very misleading to
                      base your actions on whether something 'feels dry'.

                 2.   In theory early papers (before the mid-nineteenth
                      century, when modern sizing techniques came into force)
                      are capable of retaining up to 80% of their weight in
                      water and modern papers up to 60%.  In practice the
                      retention rates seem to be substantially higher,
                      perhaps because a great deal of water can be retained
                      on the surfaces between the pages.

                 3.   Many books, especially art books and books with
                      photographs, are printed on coated paper stock.  These
                      papers have a surface layer of an adhesive material and
                      one of several pigments or powdery substances, such as
                      Kaolin (china clay).  When a textblock printed on such
                      paper gets wet, the adhesive softens and the coatings
                      on adjacent leaves bond together.  When this effect,
                      which is known as 'blocking' occurs, it is virtually
                      impossible to reverse.  If the textblock is promptly
                      frozen at very cold temperatures (which promotes the
                      formation of smaller ice crystals) and then vacuum
                      freeze dried, sometimes blocking can be prevented.
                      Under no circumstances should coated stock books be
                      allowed to dry; if freezing must be postponed and the
                      paper is wet (i.e. not merely damp), it is better to
                      leave the book under water.  However, in such cases the
                      chances for successful recovery are severely reduced.

                 4.   Leather, when wet will shrink severely and often
                      undergo extreme darkening.  Both of these effects ought
                      to be considered irreversible.

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      Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                 5.   Book cloth is fairly stable when wet.  It neither
                      expands nor shrinks dramatically.  Because other
                      components of the book, such as the boards, do expand
                      when wet, this stability can result in board warpage.
                      Dyes in many book cloths will run, and can permanently
                      stain other materials with which it comes in contact.
                      Many cloths are sized with starch which will dissolve
                      and form a slimy mess, that in addition to being rather
                      unpleasant to work with, provides a good medium for
                      mold growth.

                 6.   Sewing thread may be dimensionally stable, or may
                      stretch.  More often, however, it will shrink
                      slightly.  Coupled with the swelling of the textblock
                      paper, this encourages the development of a concave
                      spine.  For those that care about such things, the
                      tendency of the thread to shrink or stretch is a
                      function of its twist structure.

            B.   General considerations.

                 1.   The principle enemy is mold, which can set in quickly
                      if conditions are favourable, as they frequently are at
                      a flood site.  Although this is a somewhat inadequate
                      characterization, it is a common and reasonable rule of
                      thumb that mold may establish itself within 48 hours in
                      a warm, damp environment.   It is important to remember
                      that if conditions are more severe, mold can develop
                      within a shorter period; nevertheless, if the material
                      is dealt with within that period and if the ambient
                      conditions are brought quickly under control, the
                      likelihood of a successful recovery is good.

                 2.   Floods may reasonably, if arbitrarily, categorized
                      according to a three-step scale of severity.  Their
                      assignment with respect to this scale will to a great
                      degree determine the nature and extent of intervention.

                      a.   Minor Emergency.  In this category, there are few
                           enough items that it is practical to air dry them
                           on-site immediately.  Within our institution, this
                           category applies to emergencies involving less
                           than 100 items.  In practice, moreover, many of
                           the materials affected are likely not to be very
                           wet, but merely damp.  Such emergencies are
                           handled by the Preservation Office staff.  The
                           Collections Emergency Response Team is not called
                           and assistance from outside the institution is not
                           requested.

                      b.   Moderate Emergency.  This category applies to

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                           emergencies in which as many as 1000 items are
                           affected.  In such instances, we are likely to
                           need outside resources, such as large freezers,
                           etc.  An event in this category may invoke a
                           pre-planned organizational response, such as
                           calling upon the Collections Emergency Response
                           Team or implementing a phone tree.

                      c.   Major Emergency.  Generally, if more than 1000
                           items are involved, and damage is severe, than the
                           event is assigned this classification.  All
                           available resources, both within and outside the
                           institution, are called upon.

                 3.   In any flood, but especially in a large scale flood,
                      damage and loss is inevitable.  Some material will be
                      permanently disfigured, whether cosmetically or
                      structurally.  The object of a salvage effort is to
                      recover the collection as a whole, while minimizing
                      damage.  Under emergency conditions there is sometimes
                      a tendency either to spend too much attention on single
                      items or small groups of items at the expense of the
                      collection or, on the other hand, to become somewhat
                      callous to the damage being caused by, say, handling or
                      packing.  Both extremes are to be avoided but the
                      former is probably the more dangerous.

            C.   Damage Assessment and Intervention Priorities.  Items of the
                 highest priority (greatest value, greatest significance to
                 the collections) should be removed from the flood site, as
                 should the wettest items.  An adequate disaster plan will
                 have identified such materials ahead of time.

                 1.   How wet is the material?  The wettest items are not
                      only likely to be the ones most in need of attention,
                      but, since they hold substantial quantities of water,
                      their removal will help a great deal to lower the
                      ambient humidity at the flood site.

                      a.   Visual clues are good indicators of water content.

                           i.   Swelling, cockling (undulation of sheets),
                                darkened colour of paper or cloth and
                                deformation of binding all indicate
                                absorption.  The longer the books have been
                                exposed to water, the more pronounced these
                                indicators will be.

                           ii.  Swelling, especially, is an indicator of
                                length of exposure.  As the book sits in
                                water, it continues to absorb water and the
                                various parts swell at different rates.  The
                                textblock will swell the most and push out

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                                against the less expansive case and the
                                sewing thread, which may even shrink.  This
                                results in a tendency for the spine to assume
                                a concave configuration and the longer the
                                book sits the more concave it becomes.

                                Some books, when they have been sitting in a
                                pool of water for a few days swell to such an
                                extent that the spine forms a tight backwards
                                circle and the front board actually comes
                                around to touch the rear board.  Some tightly
                                shelved books may swell to such a degree that
                                they 'walk' themselves off the shelves.  In
                                most cases the swelling will reach a maximum
                                after a few days.

                 2.   If mold has already developed, there is little
                      likelihood that the material can be air dried, and it
                      should normally be frozen immediately.

                 3.   Either the uppermost or lowermost shelves will be the
                      wettest, depending on the source of the water.

            D.   Immediate action (all levels of damage)

                 1.   Eliminate the source of water.

                 2.   Turn off the heat.  If possible turn air conditioning
                      on and leave it on around the clock.  Turn on fans and
                      dehumidifiers. The aim is to keep the air as cold and
                      dry as possible and to keep it moving.  This will
                      discourage the development of mold.

                 3.   Vacuum out (with wet-dry vacuums) any standing water.
                      If there are carpets or curtains that are holding
                      water, they may need to be removed.

                 4.   Be aware of potential electrical hazards.  It is often
                      necessary to turn off the main power and run the fans
                      from generators to avoid fire or danger to personnel.

        II. Books and Paper

            A.   General handling.

                 1.   The paper will have very little wet strength and is
                      subject to tearing.  Although this sounds rather
                      obvious, the degree of weakness comes as quite a
                      surprise to many people at their first flood.

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                 2.   Do not attempt to open a fully wet book.  The
                      pages of a wet book cling together quite
                      aggressively and an attempt to open it often
                      results in serious tears.  Moreover damage to the
                      binding can also occur.  There are exceptions to
                      this rule.  If the book is only damp, it is
                      usually safe to open it, though it is rarely
                      necessary unless it is to be air dried.

                      In most situations, it is also unwise to close a
                      wet book that has been lying open, as often
                      happens when books 'walk' off the shelves and fall
                      into standing water.  Such books are usually badly
                      swollen and the pages are temporarily fused
                      together.  If you observe the motion of the pages
                      as you open a dry book, you will notice that the
                      pages slide easily over one another.  When paper
                      is wet, it loses this slipperiness and clings to
                      adjacent sheets.  If you close a book in this
                      condition, severe distortion and tearing can
                      result.  There are rare exceptions to this rule.

                 3.   Mud, silt, dirt, etc.  As a general rule it is
                      advisable not to attempt to remove such accretions
                      at the flood site, but rather to allow them to dry
                      and brush them off later.  However, if the
                      materials are extremely dirty or if the nature of
                      the contaminant is particularly noxious or toxic,
                      as, for example, sewage, it may be necessary to
                      wash off at least the covers of the book before
                      further treatment.  The book is held gently closed
                      and a slow stream of water run over the spine,
                      with the fore edge pointed down so that the water
                      runs off the case without further wetting the
                      paper.  On occasion it may be necessary to wash
                      contaminant from the paper itself, in which case
                      extreme care should be taken and the task should
                      be performed as quickly as possible.  Books that
                      have been so washed, should normally be frozen
                      immediately and dried very carefully after the
                      emergency has passed.  Rare materials, art on
                      paper, and other unusual materials may need to be
                      treated in a different fashion; these are not
                      dealt with here.

                 4.   Disbinding.  In a small-scale emergency when
                      attention can be paid to individual items, it is,
                      on occasion, appropriate to remove the textblock
                      from its case (by slitting through the hinging
                      material).  This may be appropriate when the
                      textblock is swelling severely and is being
                      distorted by the less expansive case, or when mold

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                      has begun to grow in the case.  In a large scale
                      emergency, such action is rarely warranted.

            B.   Minor Emergency.

                 1.   Air Drying.

                      a.   Materials.     Large tables or, if necessary
                                          large areas of floor.  White,
                                          unprinted paper towels
                                          (generic are best, because you
                                          will need a lot).  Fans.
                                          Towels or blotting paper.

                      b.   Line the table with towels, paper towels or
                           blotting paper.  These will absorb water
                           dripping from the books and prevent their
                           sitting in standing pools.

                      c.   Place a sheet of paper towel between the
                           leaves every 20 pages or so.  The paper
                           should not be placed all the way into the
                           fold, because this will lead to a buildup at
                           the spine, which will cause the case to
                           fail.  If the book is to be set on its tail
                           (normal shelving position) arrange the
                           interleaving such that it extends past the
                           edges of the book at the fore edge and the
                           head edge but not at the tail edge.  This
                           will provide an exposed area of interleaving
                           paper while still allowing the book to stand
                           safely.  This interleaving paper serves as
                           wick to draw water out of the book.  Water
                           will evaporate at the exposed edges of the
                           interleaving, and, as it does so, water from
                           the interior of the book will move, by
                           capillary action through the interleaving
                           toward the exposed edges.

                      d.   The boards of each book should be fanned open
                           and and the volume stood upright on the
                           table.  Often it is possible to place the
                           books in such a position that they help to
                           prop each other up.  Frequently either the
                           tail or the head of the book has absorbed
                           more water (depending upon the source of the
                           water).  If so, turn the book so that the
                           least weight is placed on the swollen area.

                      e.   Place fans such that they keep air moving
                           gently over all of the volumes without
                           blowing them over.  Sometimes this can be
                           best accomplished by using large powerful

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                           fans and placing them at a considerable
                           distance from the table.  The fans must be
                           left on around the clock until the drying is
                           complete.  If possible, air conditioning
                           should also be left on continually.

                      f.   As the interleaving papers become saturated
                           with water, replace them with fresh
                           interleaving.  Try to place them between
                           different pages than you did the last time.
                           That is if the first interleaving was between
                           pages [20-21, 40-41, 60-61 ...], the second
                           should be between [30-31, 50-51, 70-71 ...],
                           the third between [25-26, 45-46, 65-66 ...]
                           and so forth.  When the books are very wet,
                           the interleaving will become saturated almost
                           immediately and as soon as you finish
                           interleaving a small group of books, it will
                           be time to start all over again.

                      g.   As the drying progresses, a stage will be
                           reached at which the interleaving papers
                           cease to wet out but merely become damp.  At
                           this stage, it is no longer necessary to
                           replace the interleaving.

                      h.   After the books feel dry to the touch, a
                           condition that may take several days if the
                           books were quite wet, remove the interleaving
                           papers and leave the books fanned open, with
                           the fans still running continually for
                           several days.  Paper can hold substantial
                           quantities of water and still feel dry to the
                           touch.

                 2.   Line Drying.  Used as either an alternative or a
                      supplement to interleaving and air drying, this
                      process, in which the volume is suspended from
                      three thin monofilament lines strung between two
                      walls, tables, etc., line drying can help to avoid
                      spine distortion caused by extreme swelling or
                      excessive interleaving.  It is only rarely
                      necessary.

            C.   Moderate Emergency.  Events in this category usually
                 involve some combination of actions associated with
                 both minor and major emergencies.  In many ways, these
                 are the most difficult sorts of emergencies to deal
                 with.

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

            D.   Major Emergency.  In the case of a large scale flood,
                 one in which so many items have been affected that it
                 is not possible to dry them on-site, the objective is
                 to freeze the materials as quickly and safely as
                 possible.  Again, the principle enemy is mold, and the
                 (somewhat misleading) limit of 48 hours applies. Proper
                 freezing at very low temperatures, as in a large
                 commercial food locker, will stabilize the objects,
                 preventing the development of mold, the further
                 swelling of the paper and  boards, the bleeding of inks
                 and, if we are lucky, the blocking of pages.  More
                 importantly, however, freezing buys us time. Because
                 the books can remain frozen indefinitely without danger
                 (for years, if necessary), we gain the leisure to plan
                 the salvage effort sensibly, without having to operate
                 under crisis conditions.  In a major flood, recovery
                 will almost certainly involve vacuum freeze drying and
                 a aggressive program of rebinding and repair, both of
                 which impose significant logistical difficulties.

                 1.   Packing books for freezing.

                      a.   Books can be packed either in cardboard
                           cartons or egg crates.  If egg crates are
                           used, they can be stacked higher than
                           cartons.  However, as wet books are very
                           heavy even egg crates should usually not be
                           stacked more than three high.  In one flood
                           here, a pallet loaded with egg crates three
                           high was so heavy that a forklift couldn't
                           lift it.

                      b.   Each volume should be very simply wrapped in
                           freezer wrap. This prevents the volumes from
                           sticking together and facilitates unpacking
                           and rearrangement or manipulation inside the
                           freezer and vacuum chamber.  A piece of
                           freezer wrap is rough-cut to approximate size
                           and simply folded in a U-shape around the
                           case. An assembly line should be set up at
                           the flood site.  Cutting freezer wrap from
                           the roll (Zippy (tm) cutters are great for
                           this), assembling cartons, and wrapping and
                           packing the volumes are operations that need
                           to be done as efficiently as possible.

                      c.   Whenever possible, books should be packed in
                           a single row with the spine down.  If that is
                           not possible, then they may be packed flat.
                           In this case it is important that a large
                           book never be placed on top of a smaller one,
                           because the larger one will sag and become
                           permanently deformed.  It is important never

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                           to box wet books in a normal standing
                           position or with the fore edge down because
                           the weight of the wet paper will pull the
                           textblock out of the case.  Similarly, with
                           books boxed spine down, one should never try
                           to save box space by adding a second row of
                           books; the second row will crush the bottom
                           row, resulting in permanently misshapen
                           volumes.

                      d.   Books will tend to take on permanently their
                           shape at time of freezing.  One can think of
                           the book as a malleable material, like wet
                           clay; a little care and common sense in
                           molding and packing will go a long way toward
                           recovery.  On the other hand, because wet
                           paper has very little strength and because
                           the wet sheets do not slide against one
                           another but cling to each other, an excessive
                           attempt to bend or mold the volume may cause
                           great damage and result in a volume that is
                           neither usable nor repairable.

                      e.   Books packed for local freezing in a Wei To
                           (tm) blast freezer can be handled in largely
                           the same manner as books sent to a larger
                           food locker, although it is usually more
                           efficient not to box the books but simply to
                           lay them flat in small piles. Again, common
                           sense must be the principle guide.

                           It is possible to dry books in the freezer
                           and if this is envisioned it may be best to
                           leave the material unboxed.  Although it is
                           possible to dry books inside cartons, leaving
                           the materials unboxed allows freer air
                           movement resulting in quicker, more efficient
                           drying.  In many cases it will be desirable
                           to insert a sheet of non-woven polyester web
                           in between the boards and the textblock to
                           facilitate the movement of water vapour from
                           the book to the air.  If the books are very
                           wet or are of leather, there is a danger of
                           impressing the image of the freezer's wire
                           racks into the covering material.  Often this
                           can be prevented by placing the most
                           vulnerable books on the top of the pile or by
                           placing the volume on a small stack of
                           non-woven polyester web.

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                      f.   Books that have been swollen open should not
                           be closed. Instead they should be packed in
                           their own carton.  Similarly, books that have
                           stuck together should not be separated, but
                           wrapped as a unit and packed together.

            E.   Flat Paper.  Flat materials, such as manuscripts,
                 typescripts, prints, drawings, blueprints, photocopies,
                 etc. exhibit somewhat wider variability of materials
                 and production methods than printed books.  As a result
                 problems with soluble media (bleeding inks, etc.) and
                 blocking of paper are common.  Inks may dissolve and
                 offset onto adjacent materials.  Such staining will
                 frequently be permanent and irreversible.

                 In most instances, it will be desirable to freeze the
                 material and dry it sometime in the future.  Improper
                 drying or uneven drying may result in additional
                 damage  In general the material should be frozen in
                 stacks.  Cartons of manuscripts in file folders can be
                 frozen in the cartons with not further preparation.  At
                 this institution, it will often be possible to freeze
                 and freeze-dry up to 9 cartons of flat material on
                 site, in the Preservation Office blast freezer.

                 If it is not going to interfere with the rest of the
                 salvage effort, it is advisable to keep labels,
                 folders, etc. with the objects, but frequently this is
                 unwise.  Time and efficiency take precedence under
                 emergency conditions.

                 In some instances, as when it is not possible to freeze
                 the materials, it may be necessary to separate the
                 sheets of paper from a block of wet material.  The
                 material can then be air-dried or dried between
                 blotters under light weight, and at a later stage,
                 flattened.  Either drying method involves a great deal
                 of time and space, both of which are usually in short
                 supply at the flood site.

                 1.   Procedure. (The following procedure can
                      potentially cause a great deal of damage and
                      should normally be done under the supervision of a
                      conservator).  A team of several workers, working
                      with adequate table space, can separate a blocked
                      stack of sheets quickly.

                      a.   Materials.     Polyester film (mylar (tm)).
                                          Hollytex (tm), or other
                                          non-woven, spun bonded
                                          polyester web.  Clean, smooth,
                                          undyed blotters.

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                      The polyester film is moistened slightly with a
                      sprayer or sponge and laid on top of the stack.
                      The polyester film will cling to the top sheet.
                      With extreme caution, the film can be rolled back,
                      and with it a small stack of paper (10-20 sheets),
                      which is passed to another worker.  In this way
                      the large stack is broken down into smaller more
                      manageable piles and the work of separation can
                      proceed quickly.

                      Each person then repeats the following process for
                      each sheet in the smaller stack: a moistened sheet
                      of mylar is placed on the top of the stack and a
                      single sheet of paper gently rolled off. The mylar
                      support is placed on the table with the paper up,
                      a sheet of hollytex is laid on top (this can take
                      a bit of practice) and a blotter pressed gently on
                      the hollytex to take up any standing water.  The
                      whole unit is turned upside down so that the mylar
                      is on top, the mylar very carefully rolled off the
                      paper and a second sheet of hollytex laid onto the
                      paper and blotted.  Removing the mylar is the most
                      difficult and dangerous operation, as the wet
                      paper will have very little strength and will tear
                      easily.

        III. Non-Print Materials

            A. Photographic Materials.  In general, the best approach
            will be to keep the material wet and arrange for
            professional salvage (e.g. Kodak) immediately.  If delay is
            unavoidable, the material can be frozen, but some materials
            may be damaged by this.

                 1.   Slides and Negatives.  These can be placed in
                      zip-lock bags filled with cold clean water.
                      Ideally, distilled or deionized water should be
                      used.  At this institution the cleansed water is
                      (in descending order):  a) a small stock of DI
                      water kept in the conservation lab b) conservation
                      lab tap water, which is charcoal filtered c)
                      Alhambra drinking water from the water coolers.
                      Ordinary tap water should only be used as a last
                      resort.  The water should be kept as cold as
                      possible.  Refrigeration is ideal but if it is
                      unavailable ice (not dry ice) can be added to the
                      packages if cooling is necessary.

                      The adhesives in the slide binders will swell and
                      dissolve with prolonged immersion in water.  As
                      these adhesives are coloured, they may stain
                      adjacent material.  Periodic water changes may be
                      necessary to prevent this.

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                      a.   Black and White slides and negatives.  In
                           theory these may be kept wet for up to 72
                           hours, after which time the emulsion may be
                           expected to lift.  If the material can not be
                           sent to Kodak within this time, it should be
                           frozen.  In practice, we have kept materials
                           wet for longer periods without significant
                           damage.

                      b.   Colour slides and negatives.  In theory these
                           may be kept wet for up to 48 hours, after
                           which time the dye layers may begin to
                           dissolve.  If the material can not be sent to
                           Kodak within this time, it should be frozen.
                           In practice, we have kept materials wet for
                           longer periods without significant damage.

                 2.   Microforms and  Motion Picture Film.  Roll films
                      wet in a different manner than sheet films and
                      prints.  Because they are tightly wound, it is not
                      at all unlikely that the interior of the rolls may
                      not be significantly wet.  If they are it is
                      possible that the film is only wet along the
                      edges, near the sprocket holes.  However if it is
                      wet, then the softened emulsion may cause the
                      tightly wound film to fuse together.  Film cans,
                      microfilm boxes etc. can offer substantial
                      protection against water damage; materials in such
                      containers have been found to be dry even after
                      floating in water for long periods.

                      Normally these materials should be kept wet and
                      sent to Kodak or a film processing lab as soon as
                      possible.  The salvage operation will probably
                      involve reprocessing the film.  It is essential
                      that the film not be allowed to dry because it
                      will fuse.  Plastic (not metal) garbage cans and
                      buckets filled with clean cold water make
                      appropriate storage containers.

                      In rare instances, roll film may be dried in-house
                      be rolling it slowly with a pair of film rewinds
                      and cleaning it with film cleaner, a solvent which
                      will encourage even drying.  This procedure is too
                      time consuming to consider unless only a very few
                      items are affected.

                      a.   Microfiche.  This is difficult to reprocess.
                           If possible it should be frozen and vacuum
                           freeze dried.

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                 3. Photographic Prints

                      a.   Assessment. If negative are available, it may
                           be best to discard the prints and devote your
                           attention to other materials. In some cases,
                           the prints themselves may be of artistic or
                           historic significance.  Normally these
                           materials should be kept wet and sent to a
                           photographic conservator, Kodak or a film
                           processing lab as soon as possible.  In minor
                           emergencies, if trained staff is available,
                           prints may be dried in house.

                      b.   Procedure. (The following should normally be
                           done under the supervision of a conservator).

                           i.   Materials.     High quality, smooth
                                               surfaced, acid-free
                                               blotters.  Hollytex, a
                                               non-woven, spun bonded
                                               polyester web.

                           The print should be immersed in distilled or
                           deionized water to remove dirt, accretions,
                           and impurities deposited by the flood water.
                           Standing water is removed with blotters, the
                           print is placed between two sheets of
                           polyester web, placed between blotters, and
                           allowed to dry under very light weight.
                           After a few minutes the blotters must be
                           changed, because they will cockle.  The
                           blotters should be changed a second time
                           after another fifteen minutes, and perhaps a
                           fourth time after an hour.

                           When wet, the film emulsion, which is a
                           hardened gelatin, will become very soft.  Any
                           contact with the surface can cause permanent
                           and irreversible marking.  If the blotter has
                           any texture, that texture will be transferred
                           to the print surface. The polyester web will
                           prevent the print from adhering to the
                           blotters, but great care must be taken.

            B. Electronic Storage Media.

                 1.   Floppy Disks.  Disks consist of iron oxide bonded
                      to polyester film, housed in plastic sleeves lined
                      with Tyvek (tm).  If they get wet and are allowed
                      to remain damp, the rust, which carries the
                      encoded information, may become disturbed (rusty
                      rust).  The goal, then is either to achieve fast,
                      even drying or to keep the disks wet until they

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                      can be dried properly.

                      If time is available and the floppies are merely
                      damp, it may be possible to air dry them with hair
                      dryers set on low temperature.  If the disks are
                      wet, muddy, etc. or if treatment must be postponed
                      (e.g. if there are many of them), then they should
                      be kept wet in cold, clean water, in plastic
                      trays, garbage cans, buckets, etc.  In the case of
                      significant material, get in touch with any of the
                      major disk manufacturers, several of which can
                      provide salvage services and technical advice.

                      In some instances, the information on floppies can
                      be recovered.  Any salvage work on floppies is
                      going to entail a significant expenditure of time,
                      effort, and perhaps money, so locating backup or
                      replacement copies and discarding all but
                      essential disks is wise.

                      a.   Procedure.  The wet floppy is kept wet until
                           treatment. Two  edges of the sleeve are slit
                           open, being careful not to cut the disk
                           itself (the disk floats freely within the
                           sleeve and can be pushed to the opposite end
                           of the sleeve).

                           A blank sleeve is prepared by slicing two
                           edges from the sleeve of a new diskette and
                           discarding the disk itself.  The old disk is
                           inserted in the new sleeve, and the
                           information copied to a new disk.  After
                           several disks have been copied, the sleeve
                           should be replaced, as debris from the
                           damaged disks may build up on the Tyvek
                           surface.

                           i.   If the medium has been damaged, high
                                level copy utilities (such as DOS copy
                                and diskcopy commands) may not work and
                                lower level sector editors may be
                                necessary.

                           ii.  As disks may have information recorded
                                on both sides,it may be advisable to
                                mark the top surface of the disk in a
                                non-information carrying area (e.g. the
                                area at the large round spindle hole at
                                the center of the disk).

                           iii. An expendable disk drive should be used
                                for this procedure and it should be
                                cleaned frequently.

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         Flood Preparedness Outline                            Walter Henry

                 2.   Videotapes.  In most cases, replacement will be
                      the most appropriate action.  In very rare
                      instances, it may be possible to dismantle the
                      cassette and dry the tape chemically in a manner
                      similar to the procedure for roll film (see
                      III.A.2). Consultation with a recording engineer
                      is advised.

                 3.   Videodiscs, Optical discs, etc.  Normally these
                      can be washed in clean water and air dried without
                      problems.

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