Re: [ARSCLIST] disaster recovery information for less common audio materials

[Steven Smolian <smolians@xxxxxxxxx>]

There may still be on the net the disaster recovery plan I wrote for the 
Boston Public Library after its flood in 2000.  I think I addressed some of 
these.

Edisons are lamenated, often with fine wood powder inside which absorb 
moiture easily.  My recommendation, discard them.

Water should not affect the belts.  Fire will.

Wire.  It should be stainless steel (but is not always.)  This is pretty 
robust in storage but may be subject to possible tangling if suddenly heated 
and cooled.  Also, of course, the magnetic signal may be affected by intense 
heat.  Not much you can do about the last issue.

One thing I recommend is a scanner and/or xerox machine to save the 
documentation.  It requires someone adept at numbering to tie the artifact 
to the affiliated debris or its picture.  During the recovery process, 
there's a whole lot of triage going on to avoid poising the rescuers.

Steve Smolian







----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tara Kennedy" <tara.d.kennedy@xxxxxxxx>
To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 6:07 PM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] disaster recovery information for less common audio 
materials


> hello all-
>
> george blood suggested i poll this listserv for the answer(s) to this 
> question:
>
> i am currently creating a "cheat sheet" for wet disaster recovery of audio 
> materials for a presentation at ALA. the categories are: media type, 
> action time, handling precautions, prep/cleaning (more like rinsing) 
> materials, and drying materials.
>
> there is a good deal of information on recovery of magnetic tape, vinyl 
> and acetate/shellac discs, but almost nothing on more obscure media such 
> as the following:
>
> wax media (cylinders, disc masters)
> phenol discs (edison diamond discs)
> vulcanite (berliner) discs
> wire recordings
> magnetic belt recordings (dictation)
> grooved belt recordings (dictation)
> any and all playback equipment
>
> does anyone have any guidance as to what i can advise people on doing to 
> recovery these materials if they get wet? i have some information, and 
> some of it seems obvious in terms of materials science, but i would prefer 
> to hear from people who have had direct experience with recovering these 
> materials. you will (of course) be properly credited for your efforts.
>
> i appreciate any and all insight you all can provide me!
>
> thank you so much,
> sincerely,
> tara kennedy
>
>
> ~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~
> Tara D. Kennedy
> Preservation Field Services Librarian
> Yale University Libraries
> 130 Wall Street
> New Haven, CT 06511
> (203) 432-4335
> tara.d.kennedy@xxxxxxxx
> "let me help you help your library"
>
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