Leather Archives & Museum: 25 Years

etary and on the Newsletter Committee in
May/June 1976, and continued to contribute
to the Thebans newsletter until late
1979/1980, when he relocated to Ft. Lauderdale.
Sid and his piercings and tattoos have
been featured in Piercing Fans International
Quarterly (PFIQ), T.R.A.S.H., and The Theban.
Sailor Sid passed away in Fort Lauderdale,
Broward County, Florida on May 24, 1990 at
the age of 80.
During the physical processing of the Collection,
an assessment and preservation strategy
was created with specific attention to inherent
vice, potential and real risk, and prioritizing
physical and digital access. A few strategies
regarding preservation, processing,
and rehousing for the Sailor Sid Diller Piercing
Collection are as follows:
Spotlight on Deacidification:
Deacidification spray is an aerosolized solution
made from magnesium oxide
(MgO). MgO, commonly used as an antacid,
neutralizes the acid that causes these documents
to become brittle and yellow and helps
significantly slow deterioration of these fragile
papers. This process has stabilized letters
like the one above, from Hal Hess to Sid,
thanking him for his photographs and letter.
Archival deacidification spray creates an alkaline
buffer on paper, which can decrease
the pH, slow deterioration, and helps prevent
leaching.
Digitization
All items that comprise the Sailor Sid Diller
Piercing Collection, including Piercing Volumes
(scrapbooks/photo albums), correspondence,
administrative and donor information,
46 film canisters, and 8 original 8mm
films have been digitized in their original format
and will be made available online to ensure
that original order, provenance, and the
integrity of the construction is retained.
Online access of the digital surrogates are
beneficial to people who prefer to engage the
collection and its contents remotely. However,
the LA&M has found that users who engage
our digital images and collections
online actually increases the desire for people
to visit and view items in person. Therefore,
the Sailor Sid Diller Piercing Collection
is also be available in its physical format at
the Leather Archives & Museum due to its
historic and evidentiary value.
Access the Sailor Sid Diller Piercing Collection
online at http://www.leatherarchives.org/
sailorsid/
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