Terminology

Meredith Curtis' query (Conservation DistList Instance: 10:14)
prompts me to respond with my long standing refrain: Just because a
product appears in an "archival products" catalog, doesn't mean it
is of stable quality or appropriate to your need.  Here at the
Georgia Department of Archives and History, the only materials
referred to as "archival" are the records accessioned into the
Archives.  "Archival" as a descriptor is far too vague to provide
any concrete information about a product.  One way to gain more
information is to request a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) on the
product.

Are durability and capacity to adhere more important than
reversibility.  If stability and reversibility are critical, paste
may be more appropriate.

Don't be fooled about the term "non-toxic."  It means that when a
product was tested, a complete kill did not occur. It does not mean
that it was without toxicity.  Kind of scary when you think about
children's toys.

Hilary A. Kaplan
Conservator
Georgia Department of Archives and History
330 Capitol Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30334
404 656 3554
Fax: 404 651 8471

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:15
                  Distributed: Friday, August 2, 1996
                       Message Id: cdl-10-15-001
                                  ***