Batteries in objects

Barry Knight <barry.knight [at] bl__uk> writes

>... As
>a rule, we remove the batteries if it easy to do so, but we wonder
>whether it is ethical and justifiable to partially dismantle a toy
>or to cut into a cuddly animal, for example, in order to remove a
>battery.  What is the policy of other libraries or museums which
>collect this kind of artefact?

Barry Knight's query on batteries provoked my memory and a somewhat
amusing historical note.  In the 1970s there was a serious clampdown
on smut in the US state of Georgia.  Adult bookstores were raided
and materials confiscated.  These items became part of court case
files and permanently accessioned into what was then the Georgia
Department of Archives and History (now the Georgia State Archives).
I was not there at the time, but was told that there was extended
discussion among the archivists about leaving the batteries in or
taking the batteries out. They wisely opted to remove the batteries,
which in this case were not relevant to the evidence provided, as
that was visual and the devises did not need to function.  In these
cases, no cutting was required for removal.  The items did
ultimately arrive in the Conservation Lab for rehousing, primarily
to segregate the objects from the paper based records. The objects
were photo-documented in anticipation of their ongoing continuing
degradation.  It also occurred to me that it would make a future
(well into the future) provocative presentation. Sometimes truth is
indeed stranger than fiction.

Hilary A. Kaplan
Training Specialist
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740
301-837-0998


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 25:2
                  Distributed: Thursday, June 9, 2011
                        Message Id: cdl-25-2-003
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