Triage wet records by material, volume, and time

Wet-records response is time-sensitive, but speed does not justify unsafe entry or one treatment for every material. Volume, contamination, format, value, available space, and the ability to begin controlled drying determine the first recovery decision.

Source fact:

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration provides emergency-salvage guidance for wet books and records. NARA states that small quantities may be air-dried in a cool, dry area with good air circulation. It cautions against high heat and direct sunlight, which can cause additional damage.

For quantities too large to handle within 48 hours, NARA advises freezing the materials for later drying or referring them to a professional recovery service. The page identifies exceptions and special handling concerns for some photographic and other materials and recommends professional help for valuable records. These are triage principles, not a substitute for format-specific conservation advice or hazardous-material response.

Boundary

Flood or suppression water can contain sewage, chemicals, mold, debris, or electrical hazards. Emergency authorities and qualified safety personnel must approve entry and working conditions. Coated paper, photographs, magnetic media, optical media, parchment, audiovisual collections, bound volumes, and records with running inks can respond differently. Privacy, chain of custody, evidentiary needs, insurance, and legal holds continue during salvage. Untrained treatment can make damage irreversible.

Applicability questions

• Is the area safe to enter, and is the water or material contaminated?
• What formats, quantities, value, legal status, arrangement, and identifiers are involved?
• Can a suitably cool, dry, ventilated space and trained labor begin controlled air drying promptly?
• Which freezer, refrigerated transport, recovery vendor, conservator, insurer, and decision authority are available now?
• How will original order, labels, privacy, and custody be maintained while materials move?

DSE recommendation:

Activate the records-emergency plan and establish life-safety, incident-command, facilities, records, conservation, legal, privacy, and insurance roles. Stop the water source only when authorized and safe. Photograph and log conditions before moving materials when time permits. Separate affected from dry collections without spreading contamination, and triage by material and approved priority rather than apparent appearance alone.

Air dry only a manageable small quantity under conditions consistent with current NARA and professional guidance. Do not apply heat or sunlight. If the volume cannot be handled inside the practical window, arrange supported freezing or professional recovery promptly. Keep special-format materials segregated and obtain expert direction. Use boxes, labels, manifests, and location tracking so the response does not destroy intellectual control. Protect workers with safety measures appropriate to the hazard.

Verification and evidence

Keep safety clearance, incident photographs, collection and box manifests, material classification, exposure and action timestamps, vendor instructions, custody records, environmental readings, treatment decisions, insurance communications, and disposition approvals. After stabilization, verify readability and completeness with records owners and document missing or damaged items. Update supplies, vendor capacity, priorities, and the offline response plan from lessons learned.

Official references

• NARA: Emergency Salvage of Wet Books and Records
• NARA Records Emergency Preparedness and Response