Archival objects arrive with us in a variety of formats - some are more archives-friendly than others. We focus on non-invasive, acid-free storage items to preserve and make accessible our collections. But these storage items are often expensive for average folks to use, so we receive materials in all sorts of conditions.
Powderly 's familial photo album (exterior and interior) shots, showing some of the fraying paper and torn photographs.
Photo album, 1900s (Terence V, Powderly Papers)
A collection of familial (and pet) photos from DC local and labor leader, Terence V. Powderly. Scrapbooks and albums often lead to photos that are glued or pinned into acidic paper, causing issues with storage and long-term preservation.
Watch out while digging through this pile - there are loose staples and pins spread through out it!
Paperclips and staples
Fasteners (paperclips, staples, pins, etc.) are common fixtures in any office. Records arrive in the archives with all manner of metallic fasteners affixed to them. Unfortunately, many of them corrode over time and may damage the documents. Staff will work to remove these items - this pile of approximately 1500 paperclips came from one archival collection of nineteenth-century correspondence.
Rolled-up Photo, 1961 (University Photograph Collection)
This tube contains a rolled image of the 1961 CatholicU graduation. Large photos often come stored in tubes. Staff will try to flatten the photo upon arrival, but sometimes the damage is too extensive.