Ron is right.  As an archaeologist running a museum, I have found 
several instances of archaeological collections in our holdings that 
were  "salvaged" during the 1970's in which the primary storage 
container was a Wonder Bread sack and a cardboard box.  The information 
tags, if there were any, were stuck permanently to the tacky degrading 
surface of the now-artifact status itself bread bag, and the bag 
generally tended to rip asunder when picked up.  To further Ron's 
suggestion about properly including info tags, we now make a standard 
practice of writing a tag on acid free paper with acid free ink, drop it 
into a small 4 mil thick zip-top bag, and drop THAT bag into the 
artifact bag.  That way there is no degradation of the tag through 
uptake of moisture from the artifacts.  It means buying more tiny bags 
at the beginning of the project than you think you will ever need, but 
if you have a delay between digging and processing samples (who doesn't) 
it is really handy to be able to read the tags four or five years later!

Lynita Langley-Ware
Faulkner County Museum

Ron May wrote:

>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.
>
>  
>