Preservation photocopies can be made for documents on acidic or deteriorated paper, including brittle newspaper clippings and telegrams, as well as documents on facsimile (fax) paper, and other forms of duplication paper that will flake, or from which the text eventually will fade away.
The decision to create preservation photocopies should be based on the archivist’s judgment of the research value, anticipated use, and the current condition of the material. Considerations include the uniqueness of the item, the significance of the item, the fragility of the material, and the time it will take to carry out the preservation photocopying.
After preservation photocopying has been completed, house the acidic or unstable papers as Restricted Fragile. For further information, see the section on packaging and listing Restricted Fragile in Chapter 4. Physical Processing.
Also see instructions for student assistants: “Flagging Material for Preservation Photocopying” and “Preservation Photocopying”.