Protect invaluable documents

Preserving historical files will require an infusion of state funding

Local courthouses across the commonwealth and the Library of Virginia house an invaluable treasure trove of history, including some of the oldest documents in the country. That treasure is worth protecting.

Some of these documents date back to the early 1700s and even the 1600s, back to the days when the first English settlers were struggling to establish homes, farms and governments in the unfamiliar wilderness that is now southeastern Virginia. These papers have survived fires, floods, wars, relocations and the ravages of time. Without help, these invaluable files now might not survive misguided 20th century efforts to protect them.

These documents — deeds, wills, records from old court cases — tell important stories. For some families, the papers are a link to their past, a resource for learning more about the lives, properties and actions of their ancestors. For communities, especially those in the greater Hampton Roads region, the papers offer insights into our collective history.

Unfortunately, we now know that one of the methods widely used to preserve these priceless documents was instead dooming them to eventual destruction — if measures aren’t taken promptly to save them.

The problem is another one of those stories about human inventions that seem wonderful until time and new knowledge reveal their shortcomings and even dangers. Asbestos comes to mind — from the early 1940s into the 1970s it was widely

used in building materials, including in homes, because it’s durable and resistant to heat and many chemicals. Then we learned that asbestos can cause several serious cancers and lung diseases.

With historic documents, human health is not at risk, but human knowledge is.

The culprit is cellulose acetate lamination, which in the 1930s seemed like a great way to preserve important papers. Into the 1990s, this type of lamination was widely used, with Virginia a national leader. William J. Barrow, who worked at what’s now the Library of Virginia, became a leading champion and entrepreneur of the process, developing a patented roller

laminator.

Now we know that cellulose acetate lamination may protect documents for a while, but after a time, it can destroy them. The process seals papers between sheets of thermoplastic film, using high pressure and heat. The plastic is melted and forced into the paper, where over the years it causes the paper to change color, tear, warp, bubble and otherwise deteriorate. If nothing is done, documents will eventually be destroyed.

Unfortunately, removing the lamination is a complicated, tedious, time-consuming and expensive process. Experts must determine exactly which version of the evolving lamination process was used and how best to remove the cellulose acetate.

Cleaning one volume can take anywhere from three months to a year. The Library of Virginia estimates there are about 1,500 volumes in the commonwealth that need to have the lamination removed. That could take 10 to 15 years and cost between $15 million and $20 million, a library report says.

Not surprisingly, many of the endangered documents are in greater Hampton Roads. This area has many of the oldest documents in the commonwealth, and lamination was common here because of dampness and the threat of floods.

The Library of Virginia is encouraging local circuit court clerks to make removing the laminate a top priority. It suggests that clerks should seek preservation grants annually from the library for that purpose as well as from private sources such as the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Virginia’s lawmakers should also support this important preservation effort. When they finish up the new budget, money for saving these documents should be included in the final agreement.

Studying history is an invaluable way to understand who we are as a society, how we came to be the way we are and what we might do better in the future. Old documents provide important, sometimes vital, information and insights. Once original documents are gone, they are irreplaceable. Preserving these papers will be money and time well spent.

COURTESY Many historical court documents, such as the ones shown, are preserved using cellulose acetate lamination. Historians have noted that the process damages documents over time, and the Library of Virginia has sent a report to state leadership to address the issue.