Date: Tue, 08 Jan 2002 17:09:49 -0500
From: Janet Flowers (UNC-Chapel Hill) <jflowers_at_email.unc.edu>
Subject: Irradiated Mail
Colleagues
I am posting an email from our Preservation Librarian to gather any
information or experiences that others of you may have had with this issue.
We are particularly interested in how you are handling it.
Thank you for your advice.
Janet L. Flowers
> There is evidence that the electron beam radiation process used in some post
> offices to sterilize mail (in response to the letters contaminated with
> anthrax) causes significant damage to library materials. Has this issue
> been raised yet on the technical services, ILL and acquisitions discussion
> lists? In particular, have you heard of any practical ways to keep library
> materials out of facilities that use irradiation?
>
> In addition to the observations related in the email forwarded below there
> is a more scientific discussion on the SCMRE (Smithsonian Center for
> Materials Research and Education) web site:
> http://www.si.edu/scmre/mail_irradiation.html
>
> At this point, I don't know how many USPS facilities are using this mail
> sterilization method and how much of our acquisitions and ILL loans are
> subject to irradiation. Jan and I will continue to gather information about
> which mail services are using irradiation, the nature and extent of damage,
> etc. Please let us know if you have any additional information or ideas
> about how to protect our materials.
>
> Thanks,
> Andy.
>
> >
> > ==========================================
> > Date: 26 Dec 2001
> > From: Eliza Gilligan <gilligane_at_sil.si.edu>
> > Subject: Electron beam irradiation
> >
> > Here at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries Preservation and
> > Exhibition Services Department we have just received our first two
> > pieces of first class mail since early October, and I believe our
> > first two pieces of irradiated mail. The two envelopes contained
> > photocopies of hygrothermograph charts, which we receive on a
> > regular basis from one of our branch libraries.
> >
> > The envelopes postmarked Nov. 14 and Nov. 15 were quite yellow and
> > the tape used to seal it was darkened and wrinkled. The photocopies
> > inside the envelopes were also yellow and in the envelope marked
> > Nov. 14 the toner of the photocopies, where they were folded in on
> > themselves, had fused together.
> >
> > The paper of both the envelopes and the photocopies seems to be
> > quite brittle, the top of the Nov. 14 envelope shattered when we
> > tried to tear it open and a corner of a photocopy broke off after 2
> > double folds. The Nov. 15 envelope appears to be in slightly better
> > condition but it is still noticeably yellow and brittle. Photocopies
> > that we received previous to this appear completely normal and the
> > library has always used standard, pH neutral, photocopy paper.
> >
> > The information prepared by SCMRE and posted on their web site did
> > say "materials of cellulosic composition, especially plant fibers
> > and paper, will be quite seriously affected." But I must say that
> > seeing an actual sample is quite a dramatic demonstration of the
> > damage inflicted by irradiation.
> >
> > **** Moderator's comments: See Ann B. N'Gadi's post in
> > Conservation DistList Instance: 15:37 Monday, November 12, 2001
> >
> > My questions to the list therefore are: Have others encountered
> > these results with irradiated mail? Has the practice of irradiating
> > mail changed any procedures? In particular for libraries, how has
> > this affected your Inter Library Loan program?
> >
> > Eliza Gilligan
> > Book Conservator
> > Preservation and Exhibition Services Department
> > Smithsonian Institution Libraries
> > SISC Rm 2H7
> > Washington DC 20560-0806
> > 202-357-1486
>
> --
> ==================================================
> Andrew Hart, Preservation Librarian
> University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
> CB#3910, Davis Library
> Chapel Hill, NC 27514
> tel: (919) 962-8047
> fax: (919) 962-4450
> email: ashart_at_email.unc.edu
> ==================================================
Janet L. Flowers
Head / Acquisitions Department
CB 3902
Davis Library
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890 U.S.A.
Phone: 919-962-1120
FAX: 919-962-4450
url: http://www.lib.unc.edu/acq/
Received on Wed Jan 16 2002 - 13:05:08 EST