n.the process of placing an item between two sheets of polyester film, which are sealed at the edges, to provide support and to protect it from handling and from the environmentNelson 1968a, 205Finally, it is shown that encapsulation of a document in polyethylene-coated mylar, excluding both moisture and air, can be carried out reversibly. Here the document is sandwiched between two slightly larger sheets of cellulose acetate film before being sealed between the sheets of the polyethylene-coated mylar in a commercial automatic laminator. The encapsulated document then rests freely in the sealed envelope and can be easily removed by cutting along the edges. This should allow archivists to use, for the encapsulation of documents, the highly protective polyethylene-coated mylar film in preference to cellulose acetate film, which is considerably permeable by air and moisture.Poole 1976, 157We prefer to use, instead, techniques like polyester film encapsulation, procedures that cannot physically damage documents in any way. Polyester film is by far the strongest physical support medium we have found.Ham 1984, 22Just as it was necessary to move to collection-level description, so archivists must find an appropriate balance between improving collective conservation conditions (both in terms of shelf storage and ambient climate) and the labor-intensive activities of deacidification and encapsulation. Clearly, there are some documents in every archives that require heroic preservation efforts because of their intrinsic value.Ritzenthaler 2010, 443Encapsulation provides full enclosure and protects documents from casual removal from their sealed housing (by either researchers or staff). This can be important for security reasons as well as for physical protection of documents that are simply too weak to be handled unsupported. Encapsulation also may be appropriate if storage and handling procedures are likely to cause documents to slip out of enclosures that are not fully sealed; this may be more likely with oversize, heavyweight, or mounted documents. ¶ Encapsulation provides physical support only and does not promote the chemical stability of paper; chemical deterioration is not halted by enclosing paper records in polyester film. For this reason, it is recommended that deacidification precede encapsulation if it is safe and appropriate for the document and if qualified staff is available to perform the treatment.Jones 2013Encapsulation is an excellent way to protect documents during handling and storage. The electrostatic charge of the polyester holds the document in place, offering support, protection from fingerprints and other foreign substances, and preventing paper from crumbling or tearing while being handled.Qian 2022Encapsulation, or polyester encapsulation, is commonly used by museums and libraries to stabilize, store, and protect paper-based artifacts, especially fragile ones. The paper-based artifact is sandwiched between two sheets of archival polyester film, which are sealed, partially or fully, along the edges. It is an efficient and low-cost conservation method that allows the encapsulated artifact to be viewed and handled safely. It also decelerates the degradation of paper (Figure 1). Finally, encapsulations are very easy to remove should such need become necessary in the future.UIUC 2025Encapsulation is the process of completely enclosing documents between two clear sheets of uncoated polyester, which are sealed without adhesives and can therefore be easily removed without adverse effects. These polyester sheets create an electrostatic charge that holds the document in place. The edges of the polyester are either sealed or joined together on all sides using a variety of methods, including cloth stitching, double-sided tape (specifically 3M no. 415), and ultrasonic, thermal, or laser welding (the last of which is expensive yet ideal). If used, double-sided tape should be approached with caution since adhesives can easily transfer to and damage enclosed documents that come into contact with the enclosure’s edges. This is particularly bad for heavy and/or thick items.a digital preservation strategy that combines a digital object with its metadata and other information necessary to render itLee et al. 2002, 98Encapsulation can be achieved by using physical or logical structures called containers or wrappers to provide a relationship between all information components such as the digital object and some supporting information including metadata. The reference model for the OAIS also describes the types of supporting information that should be included in an encapsulation. They include the representation information used to interpret the bits appropriately, the provenance to describe the source of the object, the context to describe how the object relates to other information outside the container, a reference to one or more identifiers to uniquely identify the object, and fixity to provide evidence that the object has not been altered.DPC 2008, 117Encapsulation ¶ Description ¶ Grouping together a digital resource and whatever is necessary to maintain access to it. This can include metadata, software viewers, and discrete files forming the digital resource.Joffrion and Cloonan 2020, 122Encapsulation: the packaging of a digital object with the means of viewing it in a wrapper, for example, the use of an XML document.Cornell and MIT 2022Encapsulation—may be seen as a technique of grouping together a digital object and metadata necessary to provide access to that object. Ostensibly, the grouping process lessens the likelihood that any critical component necessary to decode and render a digital object will be lost. Appropriate types of metadata to encapsulate with a digital object include reference, representation, provenance, fixity and context information. Encapsulation is considered a key element of emulation.
Notes
While encapsulation1 typically implies enclosing an item completely, encapsulated items sometimes are not completely sealed. Encapsulation can be preceded by deacidification.Encapsulation2 is one digital preservation technique that may be combined with others, such as emulation or migration.
