Magnetic closures for containers

Carol Clausen asked about magnetic closures for enclosures.  Magnetic
closures are nice in terms of how they work, but they do have problems.
First, it is my experience with pressure sensitive adhesives that they
tend to be absorbed into the board used to make the enclosure so that
the magnet, or velcro, or label falls off.  I would be much more
concerned about this happening than I would with the adhesive migrating.
Secondly, the trouble with magnetic closures is the hazard they pose to
the ever increasing magnetic media that we now have in libraries.  Maybe
the item being boxed does not have any magnetic media with it, but who
knows if the item shelved next to it does?  Who knows if the user will
leave the enclosure next to some of his own or someone else's magnetic
media.  It maybe a small risk, but the more enclosures you make the
greater the risk becomes.

Brian J. Baird
Princeton University Libraries

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 7:84
                   Distributed: Sunday, May 22, 1994
                        Message Id: cdl-7-84-002
                                  ***