Cassie,
 
I would second Stephen's advice - that is, don't do it.  Or at least don't bury it!  I advise people wanting to do a time capsule to gather the items, store them in good quality enclosures, then place them in some sort of locked enclosure inside the building, in an area with decent environmental conditions.  To make it more special, perhaps the key to the enclosure could be passed from Dean to Dean over the next century, until it's time to open it.  I know it's cool to find buried treasure, but I've been involved in several time capsule openings where the contents were little more than dust or mush.  And the people involved are always so heartbroken, it's really sad to see.  It's especially sad because the items would probably have been just fine if they had placed the box somewhere inside the building.     
 
But most people still want to bury it, or something like. If so, here are some websites with good information on time capsules:

Time Capsules from the Canadian Conservation Institute, http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/about-cci/cci-in-action/view-document_e.aspx?Document_ID=141&ref=c

Time Capsules Old and New from the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/tklflt28.pdf

Building a Time Capsule from the Minnesota Historical Society, http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/conservation/reports/timecapsule.pdf

Time Capsules from the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, http://www.si.edu/scmre/takingcare/timecaps.htm

So You Want to Do a Time Capsule from the Iowa Conservation and Preservation Consortium, http://web.grinnell.edu/individuals/stuhrr/icpc/timecapsules.html

The International Time Capsule Society, http://www.oglethorpe.edu/about_us/crypt_of_civilization/international_time_capsule_society.asp

Good luck!

Sandy Hempe
Conservator
Missouri State Archives/Local Records Program
600 West Main St., Jefferson City, MO  65101
(573) 526-3970



From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robinson, Cassie
Sent: Tuesday, May 09, 2006 5:34 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Time Capsules

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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