I do not know of any standards but one way to make it archival is not to bury it or place it in a corner stone or some other environmentally unsound place.  There was a department it my organization that wanted to do a time capsule to commemorate an annual conference that they have sponsored for many years.  I recommended sealing the container and placing it in the archives labeled "Not to be opened until x date" that way the contents were guaranteed to stay in contact without investing in some fancy expensive product and they did not have to find a place to bury it or hide it.  We received the capsule and it is accessioned into the Archives and there it will sit presumably until whatever date that they want it opened. 
 
One of my favoraite time capsules is at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.  The capsule was placed in a wall in the big cat house and sealed with a plexiglas, see-through front so it is both a time capsule and an exhibit.  The items were placed in the capsule as if in a display so that they can all be viewed.  It has a plaque next to it explaining what it is and when and why it was placed there.  And it is inside an air-conditioned building so it is in a better controlled environment then if it was placed outside somewhere. 
 
Andrea Matlak
Archivist
American Dental Association
Chicago, IL

"Robinson, Cassie" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
The small college at which I am employed is creating a time capsule to be opened in 2106. A member of the time capsule committee asked if I had any recommendations about an "archival standard" for the project. Does anyone have any insight about this?
 
Thank you in advance,
 
Cassie Robinson
 
_________________________________________
Cassie M. Robinson
Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies
Mars Hill College
Box 6706
Mars Hill, NC 28754
(828) 689-1262 voice
(828) 689-1570 fax
[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
<http://www.mhc.edu/regional>
 

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