Criteria for Selecting Items for Conservation Treatment Before Digital Scanning

I. Books

• Books with textblocks that do not open even to 90 degrees.
• Uncut pages.
• Pages stuck together.
• Pages dog-eared or creased in a way that obscures text/image.
• Pages with large tears across image area.
• Dirty/sooty books that require cleaning

II. Paper

• Folded brittle paper that requires unfolding.
• Creases and folds that obscure text/image.
• Holes larger than 1/2 inch (1.2 cm) in diameter.
• Tears over 3/8 inches (about 1 cm) long that bisect the edge of the paper.
• Dirty/sooty papers that require cleaning

III. Photographs

• Flaking or cracking of the image layer
• Tears or breaks of the image layer
• Losses in the image layer
• Photograph lifting away from the mount/backing
• Dirty or dusty photographs that require cleaning