From its modest beginnings as a plain protective envelope for disc records, through its eventual graphic arts embellishments, the nascent record sleeve evolved as a powerful marketing tool generating huge sales of record company merchandise. It was also perhaps, the record industry's most perishable product.
While the inherent acidity of these fragile artifacts predetermined their physical deterioration, well intended repairs accelerated their decline. Today, irreversible damage is incurred by the widespread use of permanent stickers, ball-point pens and grease pencils, relegating otherwise lovely record company sleeves to mere scratch pads.
The primary concern of this project is the preservation of the original artifact. This facet of the work is underway, with some 250 sleeves having been washed, deacidified, repaired and housed to specifications recommended by the Library of Congress Preservation Office. These restored sleeves have been thoroughly archived and paired to appropriate discs.
The secondary goal is the production of full color photographic documentation of restored sleeves and accompanying discs. This stage is lagging due to technical questions involving image quality and storage format. As a photographer I have to date, preferred working on film. As the administrator of a nonprofit preservation project, and an eye to the future, I am compelled to weigh the economic benefits and reproduction quality of digital photographic equipment and scanners.
The final intent of this project is the dissemination of chronological findings and photographic documentation to researchers via the internet, and textual materials, including a discourse on paper conservation as applied to record sleeves. A rudimentary website will have been posted by Spring issue of the ARSC Journal.
Readers with specialized knowledge of vintage record company sleeves, and those wishing to include sleeves in this ever evolving project are invited to contact
e-mail: archives@wimberley-tx.com
Here's an additional one.