> On Jan 28, 2015, at 3:21 PM, McKee, Robert W. <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
> Good afternoon,
> 
> I have been scratching my head over how to move a couple thousand 24" x 36" Mylar drawings.  They currently hang in high-density blueprint storage cabinets, which cannot be moved full.  The individual drawings have reinforced holes by which they hang (if you're not familiar with Mylar drawings, they are extremely heavy).
> 
> There is some concern about transporting them flat (i.e. piled one foot high in multiple Speedpaks); the concern being the drawings could rub against one another and the ink might flake off.  There is a similar concern for the idea of rolling them up in tubes.
> 

Hi Bob,

The Missouri State Archives could be a wonderful resource for you. I urge you to contact them and an architectural or engineering archive affiliated with a major university, and perhaps Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site as well - They have a well established plans archives with conservation, and recently transported many drawings to & from the Boston Public Library for digitization into the Digital Commonwealth Collection (www.digitalcommonwealth.org <http://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/>). Get input from several sources to figure out what will work best given your resources. 

Much is posted online about proper preservation, processing, storage & handling. That being said, here is the procedure I used for a similar project about 10 years ago:

- Good news, 24 x 36 is a standard, manageable size, all things considered.
- I did a lot of research and outreach to archivists & preservationists who deal with these regularly.
- Do not roll your drawings for transport - Keep them flat, this is best for preservation & since they are not already damaged by rolling. I think storing drawings rolled is a solution when they are found rolled. but not the solution to prefer if they are flat & you can manage them going forward in flat fling whether in cabinets or boxes - but ask an expert about pros & cons of rolling.to choose rolling as a preference - but ask around. 
- Purchase rolls of heavy duty archival folder stock** and make folders to fit your drawings with enough tab space to write descriptive finding & organizing data
- Separate out about 1/2 to 1 inch of drawings, retaining order as filed & place into folders.
	(I used approximately this measurement because this yielded a weight I could manage to lift on my own) 
	To protect the drawings when lifting, pick opposite kitty corners, allow the plans to bow but not bend. 
-  I used a low flat warehouse dolly with dimensions that held the folders entirely flat.
- Since the moving was temporary, I stacked several folders on a dolly at a time about 10 inches or so.
- I transported the folders by dolly using Facilities vans & staff to another building where I set up a dedicated arrangement & processing space with ample flat table space so they could remain flat until indexing and boxing was completed. 

- Use archival folder stock from Hollinger’s or University Products. Research whether buffered or unbuffered is preferred for mylar. I don’t recall. & Buy flat clamshell boxes with a drop front as close to your folder/document size as possible to prevent shifting when moving the box. These will cost you lots of money! 

Ask an expert if you should also interleave between each sheet - I think I did this too - or at least between sets with a folder?

Also, Read this document from the International Council on Archives. There is much germane information for life cycle management.
a guide to the archival care of architectural records -  <http://www.ica.org/download.php?id=1643>
www.ica.org/download.php?id=1643 

Page 71 addresses Physical Management And has pertinent information for your project. If you have further questions, you may contact me off list.

Elizabeth Cousins
Consultant, Archives and Records Matters
Archivist, First Parish in Brookline
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