How does one archive glitter?

I recently had the honor of working in a small archivist library due to the number one rule of being an undergraduate: never turn down a paid internship in your field. I really had no idea what I was getting into. Most of my work is behind the scenes in databases, not all the fun things people working with collections get to do. As it turned out, I was not alone in this unknown. This realization is because of a question that led to a bigger discussion: how does one archive glitter?

I was tasked with removing sticks off of Women’s March posters. I gently cut around every color of duct tape imaginable, frantically looked up every reference I could find on my phone. Much to my dismay, little came up. If I wanted to know how to remove hot glue, I needed tools I had never heard of before. If I wanted to remove duct tape, I needed to know the scientific formula for the adhesive. If I wanted to know how glitter Mod Podge would affect the care of the objects, I needed to know the exact formula for the coating on a Home Depot yardstick. The information was far beyond the time I had to spend to learn chemistry.

It was clear that these resources were for institutions that had the time and money to spend on that one specific object. In all of my research, I never did get an answer as well. I never found out how to archive glitter.

I found myself wondering what I was doing in the first place. I knew that my work was important. If I didn’t care for these posters now, then the future would only have the remnants of the ones not thrown away. Even then, the signs were often littered with bends, rips, and holes from where they were tossed after the march.

In a world where society is rapidly changing, it is not right to dismiss what we see as common as something to be forgotten. If we truly want the future to remember the efforts of those in the present, we must preserve what we have today.

There are many different ways to preserve the present, but they shouldn’t focus on just digital or just new mediums we find exciting. There must be more of a focus on what we see as mundane, as we don’t know if these items will fall out of favor. If hot glue and glitter duct tape are ever replaced by new and better adhesion methods, we must learn how to not forget the method before. If glitter and crayons are not preserved now, the future may never know how colorful and bright our world is today.

This information should not just be available to only those with time and expensive machinery. Large institutions may have the ability to preserve millions of objects, but they do not have the time or space to tell all those stories. By the very nature of exhibits, they cannot tell every detail or share every experience. But, if small institutions are allowed to preserve just as well as the larger ones, more stories can be told at once. Information is the most valuable resource we have. When those who fought today lose their memories and make way for the next generations, we need our materials to be in good enough condition to allow the future to learn from our victories and our mistakes.

-Eli Beutel, Museum Studies graduate student