Southwestern Adventist University

Randall Butler, a criminal justice professor at Southwestern Adventist University, has been doing volunteer work to preserve a collection of Civil War letters donated to the SWAU Adventist Heritage Center by the Rusk Carter family. The Heritage Center specializes in the conservation of antique reading and viewing materials that are both originals and reprints. “Their historical value is unlimited, not to mention their financial value,” explained Butler.

The Center contains rare materials including first editions of Ellen G. White’s books. “The historical letters and photographs found here, bring the history of SWAU and the Adventist church to life,’ said Mary Ann Hadley, director of the Center. These works have to be treated differently than regularly circulated books. All the works are paper-based such as books, letters, and photos. The major problems in the conservation process are handling, mold, mildew, insects, vermin and self-degradation from acids. “They wouldn’t last in an open environment with free public access, like that of library books,” said Butler. “They are distinct works that cannot be replaced.”

To understand the procedures for preserving these documents, it is necessary to know historical information about paper. “Before the 1870s, paper was made out of cotton rags,” said Butler. “This material had a long life, and greater durability.”

Because of the war, the demand for cotton was high and it caused a shift to wood pulp to make paper. The lignin, or natural glue that helps bond the molecules and hold a tree together, is a type of acid. After the paper manufacturing process, this acid slowly “burns” the paper until it falls apart. Because of this, antique books, letters, and pictures must be especially cared for if they are going to last. This requires the papers to be de-acidified.

To get rid of the acidic effect of lignin and other natural acids, the materials must either be sprayed or soaked with calcium bicarbonate, a common commercial product. This counteracts the effects of acids. This process, however, does not rebuild any damage that has already been inflicted. Unfortunately, the process isn’t efficient for books so a limit is set to how much they are handled to prevent further deterioration. They are put into phase boxes or polyester bags to be stored in. These boxes are made of neutral materials and are made to fit the books so that they don’t shift when they are being moved.

Before the neutralizing process, the materials have to be flattened out. All creases and any tendencies for the paper to roll or bend must be eliminated. Sometimes it takes a month of sitting under a glass with weights on top, for paper to fully flatten. Once the paper is flat the neutralizing process can begin. Butler says it takes hours of work for each page to be done.

At the Heritage Center, white cotton gloves are used to protect the antiques from damage. Butler wears gloves to keep from getting natural skin oils onto the pages from basic handling, causing further deterioration.

Butler stores the materials in humid conditions with constant, mild temperatures for preservation. “We prefer 45 percent humidity to keep the pages in good condition after they are stored,” said Butler. “We also try to keep the room at about 60 degrees.”

Other precautions include ultraviolet shields for the fluorescent lights. Archivists store the pages in clear polyester or Mylar sleeves. Both materials are neutral and don’t react to acid, so they won’t deteriorate.

Butler started working on the Rusk Carter Civil War letter collection in September, and expects to be finished with them by late January.