--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2002 17:13:47 -0400
From: HelenJane Armstrong <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: RE: Wooden map cabinets <fwd>
Sender: HelenJane Armstrong <[log in to unmask]>



Hi Kathleen

I suggest you contact Mary Galneder at the University of Wisconsin Madison.
She has had to live with wooden cabinets for years in addition to metal
cabinets.  She could give you an accurate assessment.  I had experience
working with wood map cabinets approximately 25 years ago.  There were
problems with map deterioration from "wood gases".  The more immediate
problem was that the drawers could not hold nearly the weight of a metal
case.  The drawer bottoms would sag.  The sagging and warping of wooden
rails made it more difficult to open the drawers.  Finally if the drawer
rails get off by the slightest degree you can end up with saw dust in the
drawers.  These factors could be compounded if the map cabinets are going to
be accessible to the public.  Some of these negative factors may have been
corrected in the past few decades.  However, the preservation problem has
not been solved.

The wooden cabinets are beautiful and I would like to have some.  However, I
think they are more appropriate for an architecture office where frequently
visual impressions are important and usually the materials do not stay in
the drawers for years.  According to our consultants from architectural
firms, who have wood map cabinets; their drawers to not usually have heavy
piles of maps in them and are not accessed many times a day.

Hope this helps a little
Helen

HelenJane Armstrong PhD
Head, Map & Imagery Library
George A. Smathers Library
University of Florida
P.O.Box 117011
Gainesville, FL 32611-7011


 -----Original Message-----
From:   Johnnie Sutherland [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent:   Tuesday, July 23, 2002 4:15 PM
To:     [log in to unmask]
Subject:        Wooden map cabinets <fwd>

--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 2002 19:53:40 -0400
From: "Weessies, Kathleen" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Wooden map cabinets
Sender: "Weessies, Kathleen" <[log in to unmask]>



I was asked about wooden map cabinets.  A public librarian likes the look of
wood map cabinets.  I've been told by my preservationist that modern wood
laminates 'off-gas' gases that will hurt papers over time.  The librarian
was hoping to find a metal cabinet with a wood front.  Does anyone have
comments about wood cabinets in general and does anyone know of metal
cabinets with wood fronts?

Kathleen Weessies
Maps/GIS Librarian
Michigan State University
[log in to unmask]

--- End Forwarded Message ---
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