[78-L] saving an album

[David Lennick]

For those of us with large collections, it's probably going to be a matter of 
"all of the above"..many album sets come to us minus their albums, either 
because libraries discarded them in the first place (the CBC always did this) 
or institutions did likewise, then culled their collections. The Carnegie 
Collections never used the original albums, as far as I know, but provided the 
discs combined with other sets in 12-pocket albums. Ironic, since they also 
forced the record companies to use their best shellac and kept many recordings 
in print long after their useful store life.

This past summer, a flash rain soaked my basement floor. I'm still finding 
piles of albums (LP and 78) where I thought the moisture hadn't reached, and 
naturally these are showing up with mold and other crud. 78s in generic sleeves 
are generally fine (wash the disc, toss the sleeve)..lacquers aren't doing so 
well (pimpling, and probably worse to come). LP jackets are buckling even after 
being wiped (try "409 Wipes") but vinyl discs clean up just fine. 78 albums, 
the discs clean up fine, the album is a tosser unless there's art work or liner 
notes I want to keep, so if the album isn't too badly buckled (to the point 
where reinserting the records might cause the re-stiffened cover to break them) 
I'll do the best cleaning I can and reinsert the discs with thin paper sleeves 
(the very lightest from Bags Unlimited..or the ones Tom Hawthorn used to use 
which you can't obtain because I bought all his leftovers). Otherwise, I'll 
shelve the discs in good sleeves and keep the album elsewhere.

dl

Thomas Stern wrote:
> this discussion raises a general question regarding archival
> and collector practice relating to record albums.
> 
> Many store the records in archive quality sleeves
> on appropriate shelving.  Some have only the records,
> having discarded the original albums (this was done at the
> Institute of Jazz Studies when housed at Marshall Stearns home,
> don't know what is done at the IJS at Rutgers.)
> 
> Do you shelve records in album sequence or catalog number sequence?
> What do you do with the albums?
> 
> I usually keep records with the albums, which are
> shelved by label and album number.
> As age and deterioration overtake the albums, I have thought
> it might be better for the records to remove them and
> shelve them with other singles.  
> I would then disassemble the album and keep only
> the PARTS of the album which contain graphics, photos or notes.
> 
> The advantages to that would be to better protect the records,
> save a little space and get rid of possible source of contamination
> (e.g. the deteriorating, mildewed sleeves and bindings.
> 
> The disadvantage is destroying an artifact.
> 
> Others musings sought....Thanks.  Thomas.
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: 78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com
> [mailto:78-l-bounces at klickitat.78online.com]On Behalf Of Robert M.
> Bratcher Jr.
> Sent: Saturday, November 07, 2009 12:26 AM
> To: 78-L Mail List
> Subject: Re: [78-L] saving an album
> 
> 
> At 09:00 AM 11/6/2009, you wrote:
>> Question #2.
>>
>> I acquired a reasonably nice set of 78s that had been stored in a
>> fellow's garage. So plenty of moldy smell, silver fish and the like
>> crawling all over it. I don't think I will do much about the smell or
>> the fact that the paper is rather dried out.
>>
>> Surprisingly, it is in decent enough condition. The pockets look clean.
>> I would like to know what I may do to prevent bringing other critters
>> into the house, should there be eggs hiding down in the cracks
>> somewhere. Perhaps placing it in a plastic baggie and freezing it for a
>> few days in the freezer? Some other way of treating it?
>>
>> joe salerno
> 
> I would take each 78 out of it's album, clean it then put it in a new 
> (clean) sleeve. After that I'd look carefully through the jackets 
> (inside the sleeves too) for anything that doesn't belong there if 
> they are album jackets with a picture on the front. If not then I'd 
> just throw the jackets away..... 
>