Often in these posts we have discussed the digitization projects here at the Moravian Church Archives, Bethlehem, in terms of improving access to material in our holdings, but they are also very valuable for helping to preserve said materials. Here we would like to highlight a current project that demonstrates both these aspects, the digitization of a series of fragile 19th century letter books.

There are 30 of these letter books, consisting of period copies of official correspondence sent by the presidents of the Provincial Elder’s Conference between November, 1878 and October, 1898. These copies were made using an early form of duplication, in which the handwritten letter was placed on a sheet of moistened copying paper[1] and put through a press so that some of the ink from the letter transferred to the copying paper, which could then be dried. Below you can see an instructional label from one of the volumes that also identifies that they were manufactured by the William Mann Company of Philadelphia.

A limitation of this technology is that, in addition to the time and labor involved, the copying paper is quite thin and fragile. In addition, the ink has visibly faded with time and a faint scent of vanilla is present, a sign that the paper itself has begun to break down. As a result, these volumes have been identified as a priority for digitization, as this will allow for easier access by researchers while the vulnerable originals can be safely stored in the vault, and the current state of the material is preserved in the event of any further future degradation.

In addition to contributing to the fragility of these volumes, the copying paper itself presents additional complications for the digitization process. The paper is sufficiently thin as to be translucent, making it difficult to read as the text on the pages below the current one remains visible. In order to address this it is necessary to place sheets of acid free backing paper behind each page, as shown above, before it is scanned and then crop the resulting scanned images to just the actual letter book pages. While these additional steps increase the time and work necessary for the project, they are well worth it as the quality and usability of the images produced is significantly increased.

Once all of these letter books have been fully digitized and the scanned images processed they will be added to our online finding aid and we look forward to researchers being able to more easily make use of this fascinating resource.

[1] Copying paper was made to easily absorb the ink and to hold up to the moisture involved in the transfer process.

Main image: Official Letters sent of the President of the Provincial Elders Conference of the Moravian Church in America, Northern Province| PEC 215,  Moravian Archives Bethlehem

Further Reading:

“Mann, William”. The Library Company of Philadelphia. Accessed 5/15/2024. https://tinyurl.com/veyznzxf

Wahl, Laura. “Conservation: Mann’s Letter Copying Books”. Hagley Museum and Library. Accessed 5/15/2024. https://tinyurl.com/2p9fyx9x