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Salvage and Recovery of National Library of Medicine Collections Damaged During Disasters: Statement of Work

I. BACKGROUND

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is the biomedical library of record for the United States. The Library has a Congressional mandate to preserve the biomedical literature.

Dating from 1962, NLM (Building 38 on the NIH campus) is a complex, multi-level facility designed with foot-thick limestone walls surrounding over 50 miles of below-grade shelving and a collapsible roof designed to protect collections from possible Cold War threats.

The Library’s print collections include a large number of items that would be difficult or impossible to replace in the event they were damaged beyond recovery in a disaster. Recovery and salvage of print originals in the event of a disaster is critical to the Library’s mission. By definition, manuscripts are irreplaceable. Rare, historic and valuable printed medical works are likely to be either irreplaceable or replaceable only at great cost. Replacement copies are not widely available for modern medical texts, particularly those in highly specialized areas of research.

The Library’s media collections include both polyester and acetate microforms, acetate motion picture films, legacy photographic prints and slides, obsolete magnetic tape formats and a variety of digital formats. NLM has an ongoing duplication program to migrate content from obsolete media and store originals offsite, but a large quantity of as yet unprocessed historic items still on site may be irreplaceable.

A. The NLM Collections and Collection Storage Areas

1. General Collection print materials.

NLM’s General Collections include an estimated 2,680,000 bound and unbound printed books and journals printed on both coated and uncoated paper, as well as on paper that is brittle due to materials and processes used in its manufacture.

Collection growth. NLM adds new items to the collections daily and periodically adds gift items.

General Collection storage. NLM’s General Collection print materials are stored on 76,536 linear ft. of stationary open shelving and 190,213 linear ft. of moveable compact shelving on three floors below ground level, in descending order: B1, B2 and B3. The B1 level consists entirely of stationary open shelving. B2 level shelving is currently mixed compact and stationary. B2 level stationary shelving is being replaced by moveable compact units (subsequent to floor strengthening). Shelving on B3 is entirely compact and moveable.

Temporary offsite storage. Pending completion of Building 38 renovation work, NLM has temporarily relocated 17,000 linear ft. of low-use, general collection print material to high-density compact shelving in an offsite facility approximately 5 miles north of the Library in Rockville, MD.

Compact shelving. NLM’s compact shelving (both onsite and in temporary location) is motorized. In the event of power failure, shelving can be opened using a key with a battery pack. With appropriate caution and adequate manpower a shelf can be pushed aside manually to provide emergency aisle access.

2. Historic print materials, prints and photographs.

History of Medicine Division (HMD) materials include animal skin covered books and handwritten manuscripts, first and rare editions of medical books and books with rare or unique period bindings. The historic collections include posters, legacy photographic prints, slides and modern manuscripts.

The historic collections are segregated from general collection storage areas. Access is limited to History of Medicine Division (HMD) staff. A portion of the historic collections are stored in mobile compact shelving.

Approximately 8,500 linear ft. of manuscript materials are located in an offsite storage area in Baltimore.

3. Microforms.

Over 70,000 second-generation microfilm print negative masters are stored in an on-site vault below ground level. Third-generation duplicates for patron use and inter-library loan are stored separately in compact shelving. First-generation camera master negatives are stored offsite in an underground vault in Pennsylvania.

4. Historic Collection Film Materials. NLM currently holds over 7,000 medical films. The majority of the films are intermediate print masters copied from 16mm acetate onto polyester stock. As NLM receives films from donors, varying quantities of potentially rare or unique 16mm films (typically on acetate stock) may be onsite at any given time pending further processing. Films held in the Library on a permanent or temporary basis are stored onsite in a climate-controlled vault. NLM master copy films and overflow accessions are stored offsite in an underground vault in Pennsylvania.

5. Magnetic Tape Materials.

Betacam SP and VHS tapes, together with a relatively small quantity of audiotapes, are stored in the same on-site vault as the motion picture films. In addition, NLM stores over 12,000 legacy ¾ inch U- Matic and ½ inch VHS videotapes in a section of its general collection shelving. The tapes in the vault are intermediate print master copies of masters that have been transferred to offsite storage.

6. Digital Media.

CDs, DVDs and legacy diskette media are interspersed throughout the general and historic NLM collections. This Statement of Work does not include the salvage or recovery of data drives or digital storage devices.

B. Risks to the NLM Collections

1. Fire Risk. All three floors of collection storage are protected with fire detection and wet pipe suppression systems. Work is ongoing to upgrade the fire alarm, detection and wet pipe suppression systems of the General Collection storage areas. Storage areas that house the Library’s most important rare materials were modified within the past ten years and are equipped with both aspirating smoke detection and wet pipe fire suppression systems. The NIH Fire Department is minutes away on the NIH campus and has a long history of excellent response.

2. Flood Risk. In the event of major flooding in the collection storage areas, water damage to NLM materials would be significant. Other than floor drains in two small mechanical rooms there is no drainage to the building exterior from the below-grade levels. Floodwater would accumulate and flow down to the main mechanical room on the bottom floor of the building, where a large pump is in place to move water back up to the surface. There is a contingency plan in place to bring in additional pumps.

3. Earthquake risk. According to the Maryland Geological Survey, portions of the State are “considered to be at moderate risk for earthquake damage.”[footnoteRef:1] Newly-installed Library’s compact shelving units are designed with an anti-tip feature to mitigate the risk of injury to staff as well as minimize damage to collection materials. [1: http://www.mgs.md.gov/seismics/index.shtml

4. Extreme Weather Events. To date, extreme weather events (e.g. blizzards or hurricanes) have not caused any damage to the NLM collections.

5. Backup Power. An emergency generator is available for use in the event of a major electrical power failure. The generator provides power to run elevators and emergency lighting for up to 8 hours per tank of fuel.

C. Access to the Collections.

Except for reading room reference materials, NLM collections are closed to public access. Guards continuously patrol the stacks daily, including weekends and holidays. Security cameras are positioned throughout the facility. Other than NLM staff, only authorized NIH personnel and individuals with valid NLM identification badges are allowed in collection areas. Additional access restrictions apply to the historic collections and the on-site vaults.

All levels below the first floor are below grade and accessible via stairwells and elevators. In each stairwell there are 16 steps (8 steps to a landing and another 8 steps to the next floor). In the event of elevator failure or shut-down, removal of material from the lowest level to an above-ground exit level would require manual transport up two levels (total of 32 steps).

D. NLM’s Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan. NLM’s Preservation and Collection Management (PCM) Section program areas include collection maintenance, environmental monitoring and collections emergency response. PCM librarians have broad responsibility for safeguarding the collections and are directly responsible for coordinating collection salvage and recovery operations.

PCM has a fully developed response plan for limited impact water emergencies in collection storage areas. The Library stores response equipment and supplies for this purpose and replenishes supplies as needed. Supplies include: water vacuums (“wet vacs”); leak diverters; fans; personal protective equipment (e.g. nitrile gloves, dust masks, smocks, aprons); “deli wrap” and corrugated plastic containers for packing wet books.

On-site freezer capacity. The Library can accommodate up to 32 cubic feet of wet materials in freezer units located adjacent to the building’s loading dock. The freezers are regularly maintained and can be quickly started when needed for freezing wet collection materials.

Large Scale Disaster. It is anticipated that the most likely type of emergency situation requiring additional assistance would be a major indoor pipe leak (e.g. wet-pipe fire suppression system pipe or sprinkler head leak; chill water pipe leak) or a weather event that compromises the building envelope (e.g. roof leak, structural damage resulting in water penetration).

NLM and NIH Response. In any disaster of magnitude that impacts the NLM collections, one or more of the following will respond in addition to Preservation and Collection Management (PCM) and History of Medicine (HMD) librarians:

PCM is responsible for overall coordination of salvage and recovery operations. History of Medicine (HMD) Division conservation staff, librarians, archivists and curators are responsible for HMD materials and will coordinate salvage and recovery operations with PCM. Exhibits curators are responsible for both borrowed and NLM-owned material on display in the NLM main lobby and borrowed items in storage, and will coordinate their salvage and recovery operations with PCM.

OAMAS will coordinate disaster site remediation activities, including debris removal, water removal, moisture and temperature control, surface cleaning and decontamination and repairs, etc.

II. SCOPE

NLM’s need for collection salvage and recovery services is contingent on the magnitude of a disaster. It is anticipated that most emergency situations will result from water intrusion into the collection storage areas, but this Statement of Work includes services that could be needed as a result of any disaster scenario including earthquake, fire, biological infestation, acts of terrorism or other catastrophes.

This Statement of Work specifies requirements and provides guidelines for salvage and recovery services that may include a variety of materials and occur on an irregular basis only. This Statement of Work does not authorize the Vendor to provide services without NLM authorization. In all cases NLM will determine if external response and recovery services are needed and specify which types of service are required.

III. CHECKLIST OF REQUIRED SALVAGE AND RECOVERY SERVICES

This Statement of Work is for one or more of the following services to be specified by NLM at the time of a disaster:

1. Prompt, 24/7 response to NLM request for services

2. Assistance with on-site assessment of NLM collections in a disaster area and, if

4. Provision of staff, supplies, vehicles and other resources needed to perform the tasks described in the salvage and recovery plan

5. Assistance with the removal of wet NLM materials from a disaster area

6. As needed, assistance with the removal of dry NLM materials from a disaster area to protect them from damage

7. Assistance with packing of wet materials

8. Assistance with salvage of one or more of the following:

9. Assistance with palletizing and shrink-wrapping containers of packed wet books

10. Assistance with packing, palletizing and shrink-wrapping of wet non-print materials

11. Safe, secure transport of shrink-wrapped pallets of wet books to a freezer facility that meets with NLM’s prior approval

12. Safe, secure transport of wet non-print materials to recovery site

13. Safe, secure storage of all NLM materials at recovery site

14. Inventory of all items removed from NLM

15. Item-level and/or container-level tracking of whereabouts of all items removed from NLM (level depends on amount and type of material and window of recovery time)

16. Provision of appropriate, non-damaging recovery procedures approved in advance by NLM for one or more of the NLM materials (listed above in Number 8)

17. Ongoing reporting of progress on the recovery of NLM materials

18. Prompt reporting of problems to NLM

19. Safe, secure return of NLM materials to the Library A. Terminology.

Salvage refers to actions taken to remove materials involved in a disaster from collection storage areas to a staging area; inventory; packing; and transport to a facility where wet items can be kept frozen until appropriate recovery actions can be undertaken.

Recovery refers to actions taken to return wet or frozen items to dry, clean, usable condition with no evidence of active mold growth. Recovery actions include the use of appropriate methods of air-drying, freezing and vacuum freeze-drying. Recovery actions are not to be confused with the options a conservator might consider when drafting a treatment plan to stabilize and restore a damaged item to a condition similar in appearance and performance to its condition prior to being damaged.

Usable condition refers to the condition of collection materials that the Vendor has taken any action to salvage or recover. NLM understands that the effects of water damage on print materials may include: planar distortion or cockling of pages; separation of text blocks from cases; bleeding of printing inks and cover dyes; pages sticking together; and other alterations of appearance. Further, NLM understands that although non-print materials such as videotapes may be “playable” upon return from the Vendor, some tapes may exhibit video or audio problems for which a specific cause cannot be accurately determined (e.g. legacy tape video and audio quality varies, and playback problems may be due to age or condition, not necessarily to a recovery action).

Vacuum freeze-drying is the drying of frozen materials by a process of sublimation (transfer of moisture from frozen state to dry state without stopping at moisture state) in a chamber where a vacuum is pulled and a controlled amount of heat (no higher than 100ºF) is gradually introduced. In most cases vacuum freeze-drying will be the Library’s preferred method of drying for general collection print materials.

Freeze drying is the slow, gradual drying of frozen materials by a process of sublimation using only a minimal level of heat. Freeze drying is not a preferred method of recovery and would only be permitted if NLM determines it is necessary.

IV. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

1. The Vendor shall respond by phone, with a follow-up e-mail, promptly (at minimum within 1 hour) at any time, day or night, to a call from NLM for assistance following a natural or man-made disaster that results in damage to NLM collections.

2. When contacted by NLM and informed that access to a disaster area is possible, the Vendor shall provide an estimated time of arrival at the Library (preferably within 1 hour) to participate in a walk-through and assist with an on-site assessment of damage to collection materials. The Vendor shall immediately report any delays due to weather conditions or any other unforeseen travel situation and provide contact information for any alternate Vendor responder(s) who might be able to reach NLM.

3. Immediately following a walk-through and assessment of the disaster situation, the Vendor shall draft a plan of action for the salvage of collection materials, including any perceived need for special treatment (e.g. decontamination). The draft shall be completed within 1 hour. The Vendor shall not proceed with any aspect of the plan until NLM has reviewed the plan, consulted with Library Administration and the NLM Crisis Response Team and received approval to authorize the Vendor proceed with the proposed actions. The NLM Response Chief or designated backup will coordinate the consultation and obtain the necessary authorization.

4. Immediately following NLM’s approval and authorization to proceed with the proposed salvage plan, the Vendor shall mobilize sufficient manpower, equipment, supplies and transportation vehicles to perform the NLM-approved salvage actions.

If NLM requires the Vendor to transport material offsite for recovery, to assure that NLM knows where its collection materials will be taken the Vendor shall provide the exact destination (full street address) of any Vendor vehicle used to transport material from the Library.

5. The Vendor shall follow all NIH and NLM protocols for the following:

a. Provide all required identification and documentation for any Vendor staff, vehicles and drivers involved in the salvage operation.

b. Present all required identification and documentation to NIH Security at the point of entry onto the NIH campus.

c. Park all vehicles where instructed and move vehicles promptly if so directed.

6. As soon as possible (preferably within 4 hours) following salvage plan approval, the Vendor shall begin the careful, orderly removal of the collection materials identified in the assessment from the disaster site (beginning with any materials that may have fallen from shelves, hindering access) to a staging area specified by NLM.

7. If any NLM material requires rinsing to remove dirt or mud, the Vendor shall use only de-ionized water provided by the Library for this purpose.

8. The Vendor is responsible for protecting Vendor employees from risk of injury resulting from the work or from potentially harmful conditions in the disaster area (e.g. dust, debris, mold, etc.) at all times during any phase of a salvage and recovery operation at NLM. The Vendor shall provide all personal protective equipment (e.g. gloves, dust masks, smocks, etc.) required for this purpose and assumes full responsibility for compliance with OSHA guidance regarding Vendor staff use of respirators[footnoteRef:2] (NLM only provides masks that protect the wearer from dust). [2: http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_id=12716&p_table=standards]

9. To the extent possible the Vendor shall inventory all NLM items removed during the salvage operation prior to packing for freezing. If an attempt to compile a complete inventory becomes impractical due to the magnitude or urgency of a disaster, the Vendor shall review inventory options with NLM prior to packing. NLM is exploring options to use hand-held scanners to enable both NLM and Vendor staff to quickly record the bar-codes of salvaged wet items.

10. The Vendor shall properly and securely pack and palletize NLM materials salvaged from the disaster area, providing as many boxes, bags, pallets and other supports and containers in addition to NLM’s supplies that are needed perform the work.

Boxes. Corrugated plastic cartons are required. NLM has a supply of 300 cartons on hand, but additional sturdy cartons may be needed. All cartons used for salvage shall be sufficiently sturdy and water-resistant to pack and freeze wet items without breaking apart. If the Vendor cannot supply corrugated plastic cartons, the Vendor shall describe the cartons proposed for use in the response to the Statement of Work. Such cartons shall meet with NLM’s approval prior to use.

Bags. Plastic bags used to retain moisture shall be a minimum .90 mil thick (average thickness of “sturdy” bags sold commercially).

Pallets. Plastic pallets are preferred. If wooden pallets are used they shall be intact (not broken or splintered), clean and free of oil or other chemical residues.

Trash cans. Plastic trash cans used to keep wet microfilm or motion picture film immersed until they can be professionally recovered shall be clean, have tight-fitting lids and be on wheels.

Book trucks. Vendor-supplied wooden book transports used for salvage shall be sturdy, intact (no broken shelves or missing wheels) and clean.

11. Communications. The Vendor shall communicate problems and progress to the NLM Collections Disaster Response Chief (or designated Preservation & Collection Management librarian) throughout the entire salvage operation.

12. Recovery Plan. The Vendor shall provide NLM with a recovery plan that lists recovery services including but not limited to: freezing; drying; air drying; cleaning; reprocessing, using methods meeting with NLM’s prior approval.

13. Specialized recovery services. Depending on the type of material involved in the disaster, upon NLM’s request the Vendor shall secure specialized recovery services from experienced professional vendors who deal with specific materials (e.g. rare books; manuscripts; art on paper and other flat paper objects; magnetic tape; motion picture film). For salvaged materials from the History of Medicine Division’s (HMD) collections, the Library reserves the right to obtain at least one sample of the designated recovery service provider’s treatment plan and, subsequent to HMD review of the plan, one completed treatment in advance of recovery work. This step is required to ensure that the plan and treatment meet with the HMD Conservator’s approval and will result in no further harm to NLM material.

14. Contaminated water. Neither the Vendor nor NLM staff shall be permitted to attempt salvage if contaminated water is involved. Further action will be pending based on NLM’s evaluation of health risks.

15. Mold. If mold growth is detected at the site where recovery work is being performed, the Vendor or specialized recovery service provider shall promptly communicate any perceived need for remediation of mold or other biological contaminants to NLM prior to attempting the use of any chemicals or solvents on NLM collection materials.

16. Recovery service scheduling. Upon NLM’s approval of the plan, the Vendor shall promptly schedule recovery operations at the Vendor’s facility. Depending on the material involved in a disaster, the Vendor shall also promptly schedule recovery service for materials requiring specialized recovery service at the recovery service provider facility where the work will be performed. Upon request, the Vendor shall provide NLM with a completion schedule for all formats requiring recovery work, as well as projected return delivery dates for the recovered items from all recovery sites.

17. Communication during the recovery phase. The Vendor shall promptly communicate problems encountered during the recovery phase to NLM. Specialized recovery service providers performing recovery work as sub-contractors under this Statement of Work shall communicate any problems to both NLM and the Vendor.

18. The Vendor shall provide an itemized list of all salvage charges upon completion of the salvage phase; and provide an itemized list of all recovery charges, including those incurred by any specialized recovery service provider(s) performing work as sub-contractors under this Statement of Work, upon completion of the recovery phase.

19. The Vendor shall provide a detailed summary inventory statement listing all items recovered and the specific actions taken to recover all items, including actions taken by specialized recovery service vendors who perform work as sub-contractors under this Statement of Work.

V. SALVAGE REQUIREMENTS

A. Safety Precautions

1. Electrical hazard. Salvage will not be permitted until NLM has made sure that all risk of electrical shock has been mitigated.

2. Contaminated water. Salvage will not be permitted if the water from a leak or flood is contaminated by sewage.

3. Mold. Salvage will be stopped in any collection area where active mold growth is detected. NLM will have the situation evaluated and determine what action is to be taken.

4. Heavy lifting. The Vendor is responsible at all times during any phase of a salvage or recovery operation for protecting Vendor staff from injury resulting from lifting.

B. General Collection Print Materials Priority Order: (1) journal collections on the B3 Level; (2) monograph collections on the B2 Level; (3) B1 Level material.

1. When removing wet hardbound or paperbound items from the NLM stacks, the Vendor shall assign teams of two persons each to assure personal safety (when handing items down from ladders and loading items onto book trucks in narrow stack aisles) and safe handling of the material. One team member shall pull wet items; the other shall place them on a book truck and secure them with a bookend to reduce the risk of additional damage as more are added. The Vendor shall take special care not to damage unbound pamphlets and loose journal issues.

2. Vendor staff shall handle wet NLM print materials with care at all times, observing the following procedures:

a. Do not open or close wet items.

b. Do not attempt to remove wet covers.

d. Do not attempt to wash items clean, squeeze water from items or wipe items dry unless instructed to do so by the NLM librarians, conservators, archivists or curators who are responsible for the items. If NLM determines that collection items need to be rinsed, the Library will provide de-ionized water.

3. Oversized items. The Vendor shall stack wet oversized items on book trucks or carts so that larger items are always placed below smaller ones.

4. Wet storage boxes. The Vendor shall provide Vendor staff with appropriate support material (e.g. sturdy plywood board with smoothed edges to prevent risk of injury from splinters) for the salvage of heavy, wet storage boxes. Completely soaked boxes filled with sheets of paper that is loose or in file folders or envelopes can weigh over 40 pounds. Vendor staff shall always work in teams when moving wet boxes. Only one box shall be removed from the salvage area at a time for triage. Vendor shall immediately contact the NLM Response Chief or designated backup if one or more wet boxes has collapsed. Response Chief or backup will communicate problem to NLM Archive staff or NLM History of Medicine Division as appropriate. Vendor shall not proceed with salvage of collapsed boxes until NLM provides instructions.

5. Triage. Circumstances permitting, the Vendor shall perform a triage of materials salvaged from a disaster site and sort into the following categories:

a. dry items that do not need further attention

b. partially wet items that can be air-dried

c. wet items to be frozen as quickly as possible, including all items printed on coated paper

d. wet storage boxes containing loose, foldered or enveloped manuscript material or other media (additional NLM instructions for dealing with collapsed wet boxes to be provided as noted in V.B.4).

If time does not permit the above type of triage, the Vendor shall sort into two categories:

a. dry items that do not need further attention

b. wet or partially wet items to be frozen as quickly as possible, including all items printed on coated paper.

Note: non-paper media such as audio tape or videotape shall be given separate consideration as directed by NLM Archive staff.

6. Packing Wet Items for Freezing.

The Vendor shall pack NLM materials in a manner that will not contribute to additional distortion or damage.

a. The Vendor shall wrap each volume with a sheet of deli-wrap and insert items with the containers positioned on one edge, allowing the items to be stacked without risk of further distortion. All items shall be packed so that they are spine-down when the container is turned upright.

b. Coated paper. Wet coated pages will fuse together if allowed to dry. Since it would be impractical in a large salvage effort to sort coated from non-coated paper items, all wet NLM General Collection print items shall be packed spine-down in clean, unused trash bags inside of sturdy containers. The trash bags shall be secured by tying the open end shut to retain moisture until they can be frozen.

c. Items separated by deli-wrap shall be packed close together but not too tightly. The Vendor shall use bubble wrap or clean, plain crumpled paper as filler in the event a container cannot be entirely filled. The trash bags shall be secured by tying the open end shut to retain moisture and secured by closing the packing container.

7. The Vendor shall stack cartons of wet books on pallets in a manner that prevents cartons from slipping or falling and secure the cartons with shrink-wrap. The Vendor shall take care that there is no risk of collapse from over-stacking (no more than four cartons stacked vertically per pallet).

C. Historic Collection Print Materials Priority: Historic materials identified by the History of Medicine Division for first priority salvage; wet vellum, parchment and leather bound volumes are in need of immediate salvage action.

1. The Vendor shall review salvage procedures for historic collection print materials with the History of Medicine (HMD) conservator prior to the beginning of the salvage operation.

2. The Vendor shall follow the HMD conservator’s instructions and consult with the conservator to resolve salvage problems throughout the salvage operations. At any given time during a salvage operation, the Vendor shall only salvage historic materials in storage area locations specified by the HMD conservator.

3. The Vendor shall follow the salvage care and handling instructions listed in Section V.B.1 through V.B.3.

4. Flat paper print items. Flat paper items such as posters, broadsides, advertisements, etc. shall be supported at all times using appropriately sized inert polyester film (commonly referred to by the Dupont Tejjin Films trade name “Mylar”) and spun polyester webbing.

5. Enclosures. The Vendor shall not attempt to remove wet print materials from folders, envelopes or other protective enclosures.

6. Triage. Following the salvage of first priority items identified by HMD, the Vendor shall remove, pack and immediately freeze bound leather, parchment and vellum volumes without further triage. These items are at immediate risk of distortion and disintegration. Additional material can be sorted as described in Section V.A.5.

7. Packing. Because moisture retention increases the risk of distortion and disintegration of covers and spines, bound leather, parchment and vellum volumes shall be packed spine-down in cartons without insertion into plastic trash bags. These volumes shall be packed separately from bound cloth and paper items. Vacuum freeze drying of leather, parchment and vellum materials is prohibited. HMD staff will provide the Vendor with instructions for properly drying these items.

If flat paper items need to be frozen, they shall be stacked so that larger items shall always be place below smaller items and all items shall be separated with spun polyester webbing of sufficient width and height to prevent edge contact between any two items. Stacks size shall be controlled so that items are not pressed together in a way that results in damage.

D. Historic Collection Manuscripts and Papers Priority: Because of their uniqueness and value as primary research materials all manuscripts and papers in a disaster area are high priority materials for salvage.

1. The Vendor shall review salvage procedures for historic collection print materials with the History of Medicine (HMD) conservator prior to the beginning of the salvage operation. The HMD conservator will consult as needed with the HMD Images and Archives staff.

2. The Vendor shall follow the HMD conservator’s instructions and consult with the conservator to resolve salvage problems throughout the salvage operations.

3. The Vendor shall follow the salvage care and handling instructions listed in Section V.B.1 through V.B.3, making sure that no attempt is made to separate wet pages. Additionally, the Vendor is responsible for protecting Vendor employees from any risk of injury resulting from lifting wet, heavy archival boxes or other wet materials.

4. The Vendor shall use polyester sheets or other non-damaging material to carefully lift loose wet papers from floor surfaces and place them on book trucks or carts clearly identified as material in need of special handling. Carts containing loose wet papers shall be identified by the storage location where they were found and papers from the same location shall be placed on the same book truck or cart.

5. All identifying labels shall be kept with their manuscript containers. The Vendor shall not attempt to remove contents from wet boxes or separate wet pages. If a wet box is collapsing due to the extent of water damage, the Vendor shall place the entire wet box inside a dry container (preferably corrugated plastic) for salvage processing.

6. The Vendor shall interleave the contents of wet manuscript boxes with deli-wrap every two inches and pack for freezing without first inserting into plastic trash bags. Modern manuscript collections may contain:

a. Photographic negatives. These items are usually, but not always removed from boxes containing paper materials and stored separately. See Section E. for recovery instructions.

b. Magnetic tapes. Tapes are typically removed from boxes containing paper materials and stored separately. See Section H. for recovery instructions.

c. Motion picture films. Films are typically removed from boxes containing paper materials and stored separately. See Section G. for recovery instructions.

7. Inventory. To the extent possible, the Vendor shall inventory all manuscript materials using NLM’s previously assigned identifying numbers on the manuscript boxes. If no identifying numbers are present, the Vendor shall identify the box by storage area, range and shelf location.

8. Packing. If manuscript items need to be frozen, they shall be stacked so that larger items shall always be place below smaller items and all wet items shall be separated with spun polyester webbing of sufficient width and height to prevent edge contact between any two items. Items shall not be allowed to press together in a way that results in damage or hang over the edges of smaller items below.

E. Historic Collection Photographic Negatives and Prints Priority: Photographic prints are at immediate risk of irreversible damage and must be separated and dried as quickly as possible or immediately frozen; photographic negatives are more stable but must be separated and dried as quickly as possible or frozen.

1. If requested by NLM to assist with the salvage of photographic materials, the Vendor shall follow salvage instructions provided by HMD Prints & Photographs Curator or Conservator.

2. Prints & Photographs collections house a variety of materials including broadsides, woodcuts, engravings, posters, oil paintings and art created with various types of media on paper. The Vendor shall follow the instructions of HMD Prints & Photographs curators and other HMD Conservator for those items..

The following guidance shall apply to photographic prints and negatives:

a. The Vendor shall not touch the image surface of any NLM photographic print or the emulsion side of any NLM photographic negative.

b. When lifting or handling, the Vendor shall use non-damaging support material to protect wet photographic items from further distortion or damage. Support material shall only come into contact with the support side of the item, never the side containing the image.

c. The Vendor shall not attempt to separate any wet photographic materials that are sticking together.

d. Photographic prints that stick together and need to be frozen shall be wrapped or interleaved with deli-wrap.

e. Individual photographic prints that HMD Prints & Photographs designates for freezing shall be wrapped or interleaved with deli-wrap.

f. Wrapped items to be frozen shall be stacked in groups no more than 5 items each, largest on the bottom, and each stack shall be separated by a sheet of fluted board appropriately sized to prevent edges from touching wet edges in other layers. No more than five groups of five (total 25 items or clusters) shall be stacked and nothing shall be placed on top of the stack.

g. Stacks of properly wrapped wet photographic items shall be placed in cartons and secured from moving with bubble wrap or crumpled paper.

h. Cartons of photographic items shall be identified by material type and storage location.

F. Microfilm Priority: Priority is given to NLM 35mm silver gelatin camera master negatives. To be successfully recovered, all wet microfilm must be dry-processed within 72 hours. Freeze only as a last resort, since there are no guarantees that microfilm will be fully recoverable after freezing and drying.

1. The Vendor shall check inside paper container to determine if film is wet.

2. If film is dry, the Vendor shall set the film aside together with the wet box for box replacement and re-labeling (to be done by NLM).

3. The Vendor shall use the following procedures for wet microfilms:

a. Do not touch the emulsion side of any film.

b. Do not attempt to unroll and wipe dry or rewind any microfilm.

c. Do not let wet microfilm air-dry.

d. Leave wet microfilm in box, rubber-band the box, place box inside a wheeled plastic garbage can and keep immersed in cool (65°F) clean de-ionized water.

e. Keep film wet until it can be dry-processed.

4. If wet microfilm cannot be dry-processed within 72 hours, the Vendor shall arrange to have them frozen.

G. Motion Picture Film Priority: To be successfully recovered, all wet motion picture films must be dry-processed within 72 hours. Freeze[footnoteRef:3] only as a last resort, since there are no guarantees that a motion picture film will be fully recoverable after freezing and drying. [3: “In motion picture film format (as film wound into reels) flood-affected films can withstand freezing if the film is packaged in a sealed plastic bag and most of the air is removed.” See: http://afcarchive.screenaustralia.gov.au/newsandevents/at_archive/preservation/photos/newspage_183.aspx]

1. Cans containing motion picture films are heavy. If water has gotten inside, the cans will be heavier. Vendor staff shall lift no more than one or two cans of film at a time (depending on weight) and shall not attempt to lift any stacks of cans that contain film.

The Vendor assumes all responsibility for protecting Vendor staff from possible injury resulting from lifting cans that contain motion picture films.

2. Vendor shall wipe dry, open and visually check all wet film cans to determine the extent of wetness inside. All films inside cans are either wound onto metal reels or wound on plastic cores and stored flat.

3. Do not touch the emulsion side of any film. The Vendor shall not attempt to handle, re-wind or wipe dry any wet or dry NLM motion picture film. If a film that is otherwise dry has started to unwind, the Vendor shall set it aside for attention by History of Medicine Division Audiovisual (HAV) staff.

4. Triage. The Vendor shall sort films into the following categories:

5. The Vendor shall stack cans of wet films on a book truck or cart, no more than five (5) cans per stacks, and move them to a staging area specified by NLM.

6. The Vendor shall place wet films in a plastic garbage bag inside a wheeled plastic garbage can, no more than five cans per bag, three bags per garbage can, adding cool (65°F) clean filtered and de-ionized water to fill each film can and completely cover the film cans inside each bag. Never use chlorinated water for this purpose.

7. If NLM motion picture films cannot be dry-processed within 72 hours, the Vendor shall arrange to have them frozen.

8. Packing wet films for freezing. Insert each wet film can into a lockable plastic freezer bag (minimum 2 mils thick), pressing out as much air as possible to limit the extent to which ice particle might form inside the bag.

H. Magnetic Tape Priority: To be recoverable, wet magnetic tapes must be delivered to a professional tape recovery service provider within 48 hours. Do not freeze.

1. The Vendor shall use the following procedures when salvaging wet magnetic tapes:

a. Handle wet tapes carefully and do not attempt to play or repair any tapes.

b. Use cool, clean filtered and de-ionized water to rinse contaminants off wet tapes as soon as possible. Never use chlorinated water for this purpose.

c. Remove wet inserts and cardboard to reduce the possibility of fungal growth.

d. Keep the tapes cool but do not freeze.

2. Triage. The Vendor shall set completely dry tapes aside, but be sure to include tapes exhibiting any dampness in the shipment being prepared for delivery to a professional recovery service.

3. Packing. The Vendor shall wrap wet tapes in bubble wrap and pack them upright (not flat) in sturdy cartons to protect against shock and exposure during shipment.

VI. RECOVERY REQUIREMENTS

A. Recovery Plan. The Vendor shall provide NLM with a recovery plan draft as soon as possible (preferably within one hour) after salvage is underway. After NLM has reviewed and commented on the plan, the Vendor shall provide a detailed recovery plan including:

1. Recovery actions to be performed by the Vendor

2. Recovery actions to be performed by professional recovery services

3. Method of transport, including security while in transport

4. Location where NLM material will be frozen (if applicable), including security precautions that will be in place from the time NLM material arrives at the site and throughout the entire time that NLM material is stored there

5. Proposed method(s) of thawing frozen material (if applicable)

6. Location(s)* where NLM material will be recovered, including security precautions that will be in place from the time NLM material arrives at each site and throughout the entire recovery process

7. For any location where NLM material will be recovered:

8. Contact information for all individuals supervising recovery actions

9. Proposed recovery methods

10. Proposed recovery schedule

11. Method and frequency of reporting during recovery phase.

*The exact destination (full street address) of any Vendor vehicle used to transport material from the Library shall be stated in the recovery plan.

If subcontracted professional recovery services are required, a format-specific recovery plan shall be provided by each recovery service as described below (in Section VI, Parts C through G).

B. General Collection Print Materials

1. Freezers. The Vendor shall provide freezer space with shelving for NLM print materials that meets the following requirements:

2. Freezer temperature. The Vendor shall freeze and maintain a temperature at or below 0°F at all times for wet print materials salvaged from an NLM disaster.

3. Vacuum freeze-drying. The Vendor shall provide a vacuum freeze-drying chamber capable of treating multiple containers of frozen print materials at the same time. The chamber shall be clean and free of mold, rust, or debris from previous use.

The Vendor shall prepare and carefully load previously wet and frozen NLM print materials into the chamber and dry them using the following guidance:

4. Treatments in addition to drying. The Vendor shall review any cleaning procedure with NLM in advance of doing the work. No bleaches, detergents, water-soluble fungicides or other chemicals or irradiation processes shall be used to clean or disinfect NLM materials. All implements and procedures to be used on any NLM object shall be reviewed in advance by the NLM Conservator.

If required by NLM, the Vendor shall use non-damaging, soft-bristle hake[footnoteRef:4] brushes and a variable speed HEPA filter vacuum cleaner (at a suction setting that will not cause damage) to remove dried mud from items that have been freeze-dried. Brush and vacuum cleaning procedures shall be tested on a small sample of NLM material under the guidance of the NLM Conservator prior to use. [4: A hake brush is “an Asian style of brush with a broad, flat wooden handle. These brushes usually contain goat hair and are extremely soft.” http://www.jerrysartarama.com/

5. Checking moisture content of dried items. To mitigate the risk of mold growth after the drying process has been completed the Vendor shall use a calibrated moisture meter to check a sample (minimum 10%) of all items removed from the drying chamber. Moisture content of book paper shall be measured by inserting a probe into the gutter of the book. Moisture content of any composite materials (cover boards) that are part of the book’s binding structure shall be separately tested.

All moisture-testing devices and procedures shall be reviewed in advance by the NLM Conservator.

Sampled items shall have a measurable moisture content “not exceeding 7% by weight” to be considered adequately dry. The water content of composite materials shall likewise be “less than 7%.” [footnoteRef:5] Call numbers, sample results and date(s) on which the samples were taken shall be delivered to NLM together with the return shipment of material. Upon return to the Library, NLM will conduct additional sampling. [5: “A Primer on Disaster Preparedness, Management and Response: Paper-Based Materials” (College Park, MD: National Archives and Records Administration, October 1993), p. 33. PDF available online: www.archives.gov/preservation/emergency.../disaster-prep-primer.pdf]

C. Historic Collection Print Materials

1. If required by NLM the Vendor shall arrange for the recovery of historic collection print materials with a professional recovery service. Historic print materials that require recovery may include books, journals and flat paper objects (e.g. posters, broadsides, advertisements, art on paper, etc.).

2. Stabilization. Unless otherwise specified by NLM (See VI.C.5, “Restoration services,” below) treatments shall be limited to processes that stabilize the material without additional enhancement or alteration of appearance.

3. Recovery Sample. If requested by NLM the vendor-designated professional recovery service shall provide a sample treatment plan for at least one salvaged item. The HMD Conservator will review the plan and provide comments. Once the plan has been approved, the Library may request that the recovery service complete the treatment and return for evaluation prior to the continuation of work. NLM will make every effort to work with the service provider to clarify and resolve treatment issues, but the Library reserves the right to prohibit further recovery work from being done by that specific recovery service if the HMD Conservator determines the treatment result to be of unacceptable quality.

4. Recovery plan. If no sample is required, or if the recovery service provides an acceptable treatment plan and completed treatment sample, the recovery service shall provide a detailed recovery plan (as described in Section VI.A.) including all procedures, equipment and processes to be used for the recovery of historic print materials.