Guidelines for Preparing Film for LSF: INSPECTION, BARCODING, AND PACKAGING In order to facilitate the efficient handling of materials, LSF seeks to impose reasonable uniformity on the way in which materials are evaluated and physically prepared during processing for transfer. The following procedures for the inspection, packaging, and barcoding of materials to be shelved at LSF should routinely be observed. I. Inspection of Materials At the Campus Library A. Each item earmarked for transfer to the LSF must be inspected by the campus library as it is selected from the shelf in order to determine its overall integrity. The purpose of such an inspection is to confirm eligibility for transfer with the primary criterion being whether or not an item may be safely transferred to LSF and processed without incurring damage B. The Preservation Department has identified certain physical characteristics which may indicate that an item is unfit for transfer to the LSF in its present state. For film these item conditions include, but are not limited to, the following: 1. Under no circumstances should nitrate motion picture film be transferred to LSF. 2. Acetate films may be transferred to LSF, but with some caution. It is essential that all acetate films are tested for levels of degradation prior to transfer to LSF. Vinegar odors, brittleness, and shrinkage are the hallmarks of acetate film degradation. 3. Polyester motion picture films can and should be sent to LSF. Polyester film must also be inspected before transfer is allowed; while polyester film is not prone to chemical deterioration, changes in humidity and temperature may result in damage to the film. Usual symptoms of deterioration in polyester film are loss of tensile properties and brittleness. II. Packaging A. Film 1. The motion picture film should be stored in polypropylene containers or buffered film storage boxes-- not in metal cans. 2. In some cases, smaller-sized films may be stored in cans or boxes within archival paige boxes; inside the box, however, films must still be stored flat. III. Barcoding 1. The barcode for individual film containers should be placed horizontally on the front of the storage case near the handle of the container. [24 June 1999, M. DiMassa, LSF, Yale University Library] LSF HOME PAGE Yale University Library Copyright Last modified: 16 November 1999 Comments: danuta.nitecki@yale.edu This file is located at http://www.library.yale.edu/lsf/filmprep.html