n.a receptacle used to surround archival materials for protectionRitzenthaler 1993, 70Thus, some type of rigid support is necessary to move paper records safely; such support can take the form of a box, folder, or similar enclosure.Lowell and Nelb 2006, 110To flatten oversize material using this method, you will need Plexiglas or polyethylene sheeting, PVC pipe, and nylon webbing. Begin by constructing a shallow box with a hinged lid, large enough to accommodate the drawings you wish to flatten and approximately 15″ in depth, using either the Plexiglas or a similar enclosure of polyethylene sheeting with a glued PVC pipe frame.Ritzenthaler et al. 2006, 228However, four-flap enclosures are an appropriate choice that permits safe, nondamaging access to items of high value, photographs that abrade easily (such as matte prints), prints and negatives with flaking or chipping emulsions, or prints on cracked cardboard mounts. Paper enclosures offer a static-free environment for photographs in poor condition that should not be placed in plastic enclosures.Ritzenthaler 2010, 183Archivists should ascertain that all materials used to fabricate enclosures for archival records, such as boxes, folders, envelopes, and sleeves, are chemically stable and physically non-damaging to the records they are intended to protect. This basic requirement relates to paper, paperboard, and plastics, which are the primary components of archival enclosures, as well as to such substances as adhesives and metal stays that may be used to form and shape the parts.Joffrion and Cloonan 2020, 116Open-reel tapes should be wound onto reels made from noncorrosive metal or inert plastic. Enclosures consisting of sturdy, chemically inert materials such as polypropylene should protect the tapes from light, water, heat, and dust. Any important information that exists on or in the original enclosures should be preserved.
