Due to the acidic nature of blueprints, they can be extremely brittle and fade very quickly. Because of this, it is essential that the David Whitney Jr. Collection, consisting of 750 original architectural blueprints, be housed using a comprehensive and established method. Considering this, the blueprints will be stored using classic storage guidelines including laying each blueprint flat in its own folder made of unbuffered alpha cellulose to reduce the alkaline environment and minimize light exposure to prevent deterioration. Regardless of the size of the blueprints, each folder will be the same size in each drawer to prevent the shuffling of materials to the back of the drawer.
The blueprints may only be viewed if taken carefully out of the drawer and placed completely flat on a clean, alkaline neutral surface. Patron handling of materials can quickly deteriorate blueprints, so it is the hope of this organization to digitize the entire collection in order to reduce patron handling for efforts of preservation. These preservation efforts will be crucial to maintaining not only the physical collection, but the appraisal value of the materials in the collection.
Kelsey, M. (2017, October 07). How To Preserve Blueprints. Retrieved November 2, 2018, from http://mariannekelsey.com/2017/09/30/how-to-preserve-blueprints/
Lathrop, A. (1980). The Provenance and Preservation of Architectural Records. The American Archivist, 43(3), 325-338. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/stable/40292317
Schrock, N. (1996). Preservation Factors in the Appraisal of Architectural Records. The American Archivist, 59(2), 206-213. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/stable/40293974
Vogt-O’Connor, D. (1995) Caring for Blueprints and Cyanotypes, Conserve O Gram, 19(9). Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-09.pdf
David Whitney Jr. Collection 