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Document restoration is best left to professionals who have extensive knowledge of how to dry wet documents. Improper drying methods can cause even more damage to your already compromised files; if you don’t know how to dry wet documents, you can actually hinder rather than help the restoration process.

Remember the scene at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark when the priceless artifact Indiana Jones has been fighting to preserve is wheeled into storage in a yawning warehouse? Schools and universities often have similar storage areas for their “treasures” – i.e., their academic records. Raiders of the Lost Ark ends with the implication that the ark will probably never see the light of day again, but the opposite is true for school records. Schools must be able to provide students’ records on request at any time, even decades after a diploma has been granted.

When restoring water damaged documents, including damaged books, freezing is your first priority. Air drying works for smaller quantities of books that haven’t seen extensive damage, but many libraries and historical societies lack the facilities for proper drying. In this situation, freezing within 24 hours – ideally, blast freezing – is best to halt the damage in its tracks. You’ll need to arrange a space for drying or freezing; don’t move damaged books until that restoration location is prepared.