thoughts for a pre-recorded con panel: archival storage for your yaoi

[miscellanium]

i mentioned this idea on fedi but wanted to jot down an outline somewhere it'd be easier to format while still being open to public comment. if there's anything you think isn't already addressed here but would be helpful to see discussed pls lmk! there are no stupid questions, but i don't have the bandwidth to do the live q&a now lol.

alternatively, if anyone has fannish horror stories about storage they want to share i'm happy to include them in the presentation and discuss how they might've been avoided.

archival storage for fans on a budget (workshop the title, i'm terrible at these) - individual-scale solutions framed in a way that's accessible/relevant to fen rather than normie grannies

INTRO

• dammit jim i'm an archivist not a conservator, not giving professional advice, some of this will be out of your control and that's ok. some of the solutions may be out of your current budget but let's take ibuprofen together and make informed decisions
• basics of agents of deterioration, inherent vice

CORE

• focus on paper-based (doujinshi, etc) but touch on things like pins, figurines, and other physical media (itabags!)
• most important things to avoid if possible (touch on off-gassing, etc. eta: including plastic sleeves, thanks tabby)
• what can you do on a budget? you do not need museum-grade environmental monitors.
  • location in some ways more crucial than the containers
  • give irl examples: larry archive, arcv doujins, hellsing merch?
  • binders&c for display purposes? paging through lobby cards etc.

OTHER CONSIDERATIONS

• cataloging as you go
  • easy DIY collection management solutions
• unbinding bound media: when is it a good idea? how to do it safely, how to label pages if needed (pencils, erasers to recommend)
• address ipm? unlikely to be a concern for most fans (hopefully) but share a resource
• not to be a corpo shill but... recommended vendors for officially archival-grade supplies

Comments

[tempural]

ooh one weird story I have is.. this pair of vinyl (aka plastic polyseter) shorts I had completely fell apart after 10 years in the closet :P The plastic coating fell off the backing material, which is very typical for "vegan leather" type material. I wanted to preserve it cuz it had a sticker (probably also vinyl?) stuck on it by the band I like during a concert. So I guess you'll have some knowledge of vinyl preservation since that's a common material for itabags.

Wonder if you maybe had suggestions for like "fannish clothing" like t-shirts with prints and such?

[miscellanium]

yeah pvc/vinyl is diabolical from a preservation standpoint lol. the chemicals used to make it softer also contribute to it breaking down more easily. i'll have to think about the best way to handle vinyl-on-vinyl in that kind of situation.

i can def talk a bit about clothing! are you thinking about items that are still seeing active wear, or more things that are ready to be retired?