An Attic Tragedy; Losing a Filmed History of Childhood

I'll never forget when we opened a Sarasota, Florida attic after my father's death. The humidity and heat had destroyed the 16mm film that recorded my first years until preteenhood. Therefore, if it's not too late, follow the NEDCC guidelines that are available before a similar experience occurs. Book illustration LOC

The Northeast Document Conservation Center offers free leaflets that set out in great detail processes to follow in order to preserve collections. These are for private and family collections.

NEDCC provides printable Preservation Leaflets with information on a wide variety of preservation topics, supplier contact information, and links to additional resources. The leaflets may be downloaded at no cost.

The leaflets were recently updated with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. To receive notification when a new or updated leaflet is available, please contact Julie Martin, jmartin@nedcc.org.

Each year, NEDCC answers more than 1,200 phone and email inquiries about general preservation issues ranging from insect infestation to basic conservation methods to sources of preservation suppliers. If you have a question, contact NEDCC staff at www.nedcc.org/ask/email.php.

Here are some of the frequently asked questions of the NEDCC:

How can I remove the musty smell from old books?

There is no guaranteed way to remove the musty smell from old books, but there are several strategies that may be successful. A musty smell is most often noted in books that have been exposed to high relative humidity and may have been moldy or mildewed in the past.

One strategy involves creating an enclosed chamber. This is most easily done by using two plastic garbage cans, one large (with a lid) and one small. An odor-absorbing material should be placed in the bottom of the larger can. Materials that absorb odors include baking soda, charcoal briquettes (without lighter fluid), kitty litter, and Zeolites. The object to be “deodorized” should be placed in the smaller can, which is then placed inside the larger can. The lid should then be placed on the larger can, and the chamber should be left for some time. Monitor the material periodically, since the time required to reduce the odors will vary from object to object.

A second option is the use of paper containing Zeolite molecular traps. Known as MicroChamber® products, these papers have proven very effective in removing odors. Place a sheet of the lightweight, 100% cotton interleaving tissue between the front board and the endpaper, every 100 pages throughout the volume, and again between the back board and endpaper. Close the book and set it aside until the odor is reduced. It may be necessary to replace interleaving several times, putting new sheets at different locations in the book. For product information and supplies contact Conservation Resources at (800) 634-6932.

Our basement flooded and the pages of my high school yearbook are stuck together — what can I do?

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An Attic Tragedy; Losing a Filmed History of Childhood

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