Emily's response on adhesives is excellent. Speaking as someone who worked  
on shoestring university jobs more than thirty years ago, I can attest to the  
fact that duco cement yellows and drops off artifacts in time. Also, people 
who  used white glue regretted the decision when the environment got moist and 
the  glue began to grow a mold. There is no cheap or easy solution. 
 
One hint on recreation of ceramic is to use a "sandbox" to support the  glued 
pieces while the glue sets up. Some conservators use tapes with adhesives  
that can be removed later, should they leave a gum on the ceramic wall after  
removal. Some people wish to avoid getting tiny sand grains in the adhesives, so 
 an alternative is kitty litter. The litter also absorbs moisture.
 
Although this message (bag tags) may have come up in the past, it is worth  
repeating. A number of archaeologists purchase foil-backed labels from  
University Products with adhesive backing so they can slap a label on the bag  for 
cataloguing. About ten years ago, I noticed the lead foil reacted to metals  and 
began investigating the labels and learned it is bad procedure to insert  
foil-backed tags inside bags because the metal transfers or can chemically alter  
the metals. Worse, a conversation with the University Products chemists 
revealed  the adhesives of the labels will begin to degrade at ten years. So, 
putting  foil-backed labels on the outside of bags means they will drop-off in 
time. The  best method for including information in a bag (chemically stable bag) 
is to use  acid-free paper and acid-free ink and drop it inside the bag.
 
The big lesson for us all is that the containers in which we put our  
artifacts could degrade or disintegrate before the artifacts, if we are not  careful. 
The boxes, bags, tags, inks, and adhesives are all subject to  disintegration 
over time. We do not want some future archaeologist to open a  collection 
room and find a pile of artifacts in a heap of dust. Or worse, in a  dissolved 
and congealed slurry of cardboard. This is also why storing those  boxes in 
rooms with humidity and temperature control is essential for long-term  curation. 
 
In essence, we should all enlist trained and qualified conservators to lead  
the long-term battle for preservation of both the artifacts and the 
containers.  Over the long haul, control of the chemical changes will involve both 
curators  and a staged program of container replacement with monitoring of  
hygrothermographs and container inspection. When you deal with dust, bugs,  light, 
and degradation, the costs can be enormous.
 
Ron May
Legacy 106, Inc.