4.6.1 Restricted Fragile

February 10, 2021 - 4:32pm by Anonymous (not verified)

Items that would be damaged through handling or whose media or material composition would likely incur loss of content over time may be restricted from regular public access, and a reference surrogate may be supplied in its place. All original born-digital carriers are restricted fragile. All original A/V carriers are also restricted fragile. 

The level of control to which a collection is processed determines the degree to which fragile material is identifiable. Item-by-item selection of fragile items is not feasible at less granular processing levels, and fragile material may only be identifiable if present in bulk. Item-level processing of restricted fragile materials is carried out as follows:

  • Thermofax paper, carbon paper, newsprint, and telegrams may be designated Restricted Fragile in order to preserve content that would be lost due to inherently unstable media.

  • Open reel audiovisual material and computer disks are designated Restricted Fragile as the content is not accessible to researchers in the original format.

  • Photographic material such as color slides may be designated Restricted Fragile and stored in cold storage to slow fading. Nitrate negatives must be removed according to Beinecke policy and procedure.

  • Consider Restricted Fragile when:

    • the material is appraised as particularly valuable

    • use of the collection is anticipated to be high, with materials put at risk due to frequent handling

There are two steps to physically processing an item designated as Restricted Fragile:

  1. Create a reference surrogate

  2. Package the original material

Reference surrogates are filed in the collection in place of original material or objects.

Types of reference surrogates:

  • A preservation photocopy on acid-free paper. Preservation photocopies are created in house.

  • Printout from the Digital Library, if available. Label the printout “Original material is restricted.”

  • Print of digital photograph

If an item is too fragile to have a reference surrogate created, consult with the Preservation Coordination Librarian about treatment options.

Restricted Fragile material is typically housed in standard archival boxes. Custom boxes are required for material stored in Art Storage or Cold Storage. Restricted Fragile material must be housed in separate boxes from other collection material and labeled “Restricted Fragile.”

Generally, items originating from a single folder in the main files should be foldered in a single folder in Restricted Fragile. House the materials in a manner that will provide safe and stable storage, considering the following options if necessary:

  • folder items individually for extra support

  • enclose items in individual mylar sleeves

  • use light 2- or 4-flap wrappers

  • provide custom containment or support made by conservation staff