Guides @ UF: Preservation Guidelines for Smathers Library and Special Collections Items: Quick Guide

Work Clean

Personal Cleanliness
1. Wash hands before and after handling items.
2. Avoid gripping aids or licking fingers to turn pages.
3. Avoid lotions and hand sanitizers.
4. Remove jewelry and other personal items that can easily snag--also paying attention to your ID badge.
Workspace Cleanliness
1. Do not keep food or eat around collections items. Eating should only happen in break rooms or conference rooms.
2. Drinks should be in closed containers that fully close (straws can leak) and do not cause condensation.
3. Avoid keeping plants inside.
4. Keep work areas clean, neat, and dry.
5. Dispose of food waste in break rooms only and do so promptly and properly.
6. Use work areas that will fully support items--avoid using carts for anything other than transporting items.
7. Avoid creating large stacks of items.
Stacks cleanliness
1. Dust collection items and shelves on a regular, rotating schedule.
2. Use only pencils around collection items.
3. Avoid anything sticky around collection items like tape, sticky notes, etc.
4. Contact conservation/preservation immediately when in contact with mold, pests, and other hazardous substances.

Move Carefully
1. Be intentional and do not hurry.
2. Use a cart when moving items across large areas of the libraries.
3. Hold items, mail bins, and any other container with both hands.
4. Avoid overloading carts--place heavier items on the bottom and lighter items on the top.
5. Find a helper when moving over-sized items.
Minimize Handling
1. Pick up items by their most solid/stable component.
2. Avoid dragging or sliding collection items across any surface.
3. Find a helper when handling over-sized items.
4. Gloves should be worn when handling any media that is not just paper and book media.
5. Do not attempt to repair collection items on your own. Contact Conservation for any and all repairs.
Minimize Force
1. Avoid trying to force flat any collection item.
2. Avoid removing a book from the shelf by pulling on the end cap.
3. Open books at the angle they are most comfortable.
4. Report any theft or vandalism and educate perpetrator if safe to do so.

Storage Shelving
1. Collection items should be stored on shelves and not carts, desks, floors, etc.
2. Stack areas should be in the best climate controlled, high air flow areas of the libraries.
3. Stacks should not be in direct sunlight.
Labeling
1. Call number labels and barcodes should be on boxes or paperbook marks. Avoid tape and sticky notes. Avoid protective tape over spine labels.
2. Other necessary labeling should be added using stamps or contact conservation for appropriate adhesive use.
3. Only use pencils around collection items.
Stack Maintenance
1. Avoid overfilling and under-filling shelving.
2. Dust collection items and shelving regularly on a rotating basis.

Transport within your libraries
1. Do not overload yourself or any cart.
2. Use carts for most transportation.
Transport among library branches
1. Do not use any elastics, tape, etc. to identify transportation purpose.
2. Use white paper slips to identify transportation purpose as bookmarks in collection items.
3. Handle mail bins using both hands.
Transport to and from ILF, ALF, and FLARE
1. Use only campus vehicles to transport collection items to off-site facilities.
2. Use mail bins and only fill them up to the handle. Do not overfill. Special containers are used to transport special collection items.
3. Transportation requires a dry, non-rainy day and proper airflow with A/C in the campus vehicles.
Transport to outside the library system
1. Transport should include the guidelines for UF as well as the other institution involved.
2. Use campus transportation vehicles when possible--you do not have control over the temperature and humidity when using mail carrier systems.
3. Pack appropriately for the least amount of damage possible.