Armed with this information, Chelsea District Library took a look
at the Family History Index. While the cards had been stored away
from the light in filing drawers, they also had been used heavily by
patrons over the years, resulting in some wear and tear. In addition,
neither the index cards nor the glue were acid free, and newsprint is
one of the most acidic papers. The oldest cards and the oldest
clippings dated back to the 1950s, resulting in some that were in very
delicate condition. Along with the unique and irreplaceable nature of
the collection, this delicate condition led the library director to decide
that the cards should be scanned manually in-house rather than sent
to a contractor who would likely feed them into a scanner, possibly
resulting in damage.