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Good Day:
 
We are considering encapsulating some of our more fragile and irreplacable
maps.  We are going to buy rolls of polyester, sandwich the map along with a
piece of acid-free paper with tattle tape attached.  I have a few questions
about this process:
1. Is ther a recommended thickness of polyester that we should use?
2. Should we place the tattle tape between the map and the sheet of paper so
that it is invissible to any user or, place it on the visable side of the
acid-free sheet of paper away from the map but in plain sight? I guess we
could cover it with tape, however, how hidden would it be?
3. We had thought to use the double sided tape companies sell along with the
film, however, I have a concern with that.  Does the use of double-sided tape
leave sharp, polyester edges free to slice through other maps in the drawer?
Does anyone use single-sided tape on the outside of the sandwich, putting
tape on the front sheet of poly, folding the tape over the edge (therefore
covering those sharp edges) and sticking the tape to the back sheet?  Does
anyone sew the sheets of polyester together? (You still have sharp edges, but
the preservationists fear of adhesive is gone.)
Thanks for your advise and assistance.
 
Michael McDonnell
Waldo Library
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI  49008
616 387-5208
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