Internship at the Archives of the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Catholic Church #2

    When I volunteered to work in the archives of the Holy Trinity Particular Ukrainian Catholic Church, I never expected that I would be preserving vinyl records. I didn't even know the church had a vinyl record collection until, one day, I found a box and two paper bags together containing over a hundred vinyl records. A family friend told me that a parishioner had donated their large collection of Ukrainian folk and contemporary music on vinyl records to the church many years ago. These vinyl records, however, were stored for years under a stairwell, where damp conditions provided a wonderful habitat for mold. By the time I discovered them, many of the record covers were absolutely covered in that mold, and required immediate attention.
    While I had never worked with vinyl records before, vinyl records before, I dove into the task at hand undaunted. I set up a special table in my garage and assembled a large stash of Lysol® disinfectant cleaning wipes. I bought the necessary equipment to clean and preserve these vinyl records, including a special brush to clean any spores from the vinyl records themselves, archival-quality plastic inner and outer record sleeves to guard against moisture, and a portable record player which would allow me to create digital copies of the songs.

Photo of the cleaning station in my garage, along with my feline supervisor Tosia.

   I developed a routine for cleaning these records. First, I would remove the vinyl record from its paper cover, discard any irreparable inner paper sleeves, and put the record aside. Next, I would wipe down the cover, dry it with a paper towel, scan it with Office Lens, and place it into a plastic outer sleeve. Following that, I would carefully wipe any dirt or detritus from the vinyl record, dry it with a paper towel, and place it into a plastic inner sleeve. Then, I would take the vinyl record inside the house, gently clean it with the special record brush, and appraise the physical condition of the record. If there were no serious scratches or dents, I would then place it onto my portable record player, and let my computer make a digital copy of the songs. By the time I completed my internship at the Holy Trinity PUC Church, I had successfully preserved 43 different vinyl records.. 
    I found the experience of caring for these vinyl records particularly rewarding. Not only did I learn a lot about the vinyl medium, I also had the chance to listen to interesting and unique interpretations of the Ukrainian folk songs I grew up with. It also proved a good activity to do on days when I could not drive to the archives due to adverse weather conditions.