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Information
Preservation Photocopying
Basic
Archival Quality Information
Gregath Company, Inc. is in the
business of producing quality books that are built to last. While
there may be lower cost publishing preservationists, the books and archive materials
we produce have been constructed to be lasting publications.
Acid free, permanent and
archival
can be defined many ways. However, it should be noted that both
internal
and external factors affect the finished product at any given time.
Internal factors are those that go into the making of the raw materials.
External factors are everything from the atmospheric conditions during
publishing (a book produced in a large industrial park may be subjected to
caustic factors), heat, humidity and UV light to a book owner's habit of using hand lotion frequently.
Predictions of paper life, as it
pertains to publications available in publications, vary widely. In fact, many
"doomsday" predictions about wood-pulp paper are proving to be very
short-sighted. Even newsprint, when cared for properly, is proving to have a
viable life (in public collections), when cared for properly, of well over a hundred years.
Using
dedicated photocopying machines along with archival
paper, preservation photocopying makes
long-lasting replacement copies for materials that need them. A variety of
factors can contribute to age deterioration and damage. In repositories,
this can lead to non-circulating documents and printed materials that are headed
down a dead-end street of "saving" as a form of preservation. Standard
archiving as sole method of preservation effectively loses the material. While not
advocating wholesale standard photocopying as restoration or preservation, the
concept of preservation photocopying bridges the gap left between high dollar
professional preservation and budget. Many times, the result stands the test
of time as well or better than microfilming.
The
quality of a photocopy depends on:
-
paper used
-
machine making the copy
-
expertise of the machine operator
-
imaging materials adhering to the paper
-
quality of the original image
-
the completeness of the item
Requirements for a Preservation Photocopy:
Paper must adhere to standards for permanence and durability. Applicable
standards are ANSI Z39.48 -- Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials;
ASTM D3290 -- Bond and Ledger Paper for Permanent Records; ASTM D3458 -- Copies
from Office Copying Machines for Permanent Records. Paper color is generally
white or off-white.
Equipment must use a toner with black pigment to produce permanent
images.
Copy machine must function at its optimum operating condition to meet the
toner's need for heat/pressure setting of the image in the copying process. It
may be necessary to have a specific machine dedicated only to preservation
photocopying.
Image adhesion to the paper must be tested. Do the tape pull test as described
in National Archives and Records Administration Technical Information Paper No.
5. The test should be performed daily on copies from machines routinely used for
preservation photocopying and may be performed by customers receiving copies
produced by vendors.
Passing the tape pull test means that copied text does not appear -- even the
outline of letters or symbols -- in the adhesive of the testing tape when it is
slowly lifted off the image.
Each preservation photocopy's image should replicate the original image and its
placement in the original including registration of text on verso and recto
sides of a page.
Preservation photocopies must be inspected to verify page order, legibility,
completeness, clarity, contrast, and accuracy. Quality of the replacement copy
should be compared to the source materials.
A preservation photocopy should have a statement identifying the work as a copy.
Notice of copy should appear as a separate leaf in the copy. The copy
identification statement should indicate that the paper complies with ANSI
Z39.48 and may make reference to "poor quality original" to describe limits of
photocopying.
Copyright statements about the limited use of copied material may be added to
the notice of copy if appropriate. One can never learn too much about
Copyright:
http://www.copyright.gov.
Preservation replacement photocopies are to be properly housed and stored
according to requirements for paper materials.
Original material may be stored as "leaf masters," which may be retrieved for
future duplication such as making an additional preservation photocopy or making
use of other media conversion technology.
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References:
-
Double Fold, Libraries and the
Assault on Paper, Nicholson Baker, 2002
-
United States Library of Congress
-
American Library Association's
Guidelines for Preservation Photocopying
-
Digital production specifications
provided by equipment manufacturer
-
30+ years of staff experience and
education
For more suggestions
on this subject and more, order our book:
 G550-$10.00
WRITING Family History Or Genealogy For Pleasure and Profit, by Gregath Company,
Inc.,
2008. ISBN: 0-944619-00-2, 8½x11",
softbound book, 126 pages, suggestions & examples of all facets of your project
for the typist and/or computer user.
Also available on disk.
Note: All G prefix books 100 pages or more, this one included,
that are SB can be special ordered in Library Oversewn Hardbound version -
contact
for details.
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This Page Last Updated:
November 21, 2011
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