Exploring

Storage Enclosures

As with storage furniture, poor-quality enclosures, or a lack thereof, can damage collections both physically and chemically. Chemical damage such as yellowing, discoloration, or embrittlement can result from direct contact with acids produced by poor-quality storage materials, and physical damage can result when enclosures of inadequate size or shape (or no enclosures at all) are used.

When choosing storage enclosures, it is important to understand the terminology used to describe preservation storage enclosures, and to be aware of which enclosures are appropriate for which collections. What do the terms "archival quality" and "acid-free" mean? What types of enclosures are appropriate for documents, for photographs, and/or for oversize materials? These basic concepts will be covered in this section.