[NHCOLL-L:1098] recommendations for herbarium glues?

[spau]

Hello all,

The herbarium I'm employed at is currently testing out pH Neutral,
archival quality glues for use in plant mounting, and would like some
suggestions for archival quality adhesives that are safe for prolonged
use by volunteers and staff.  Currently, we are testing out a brand of
adhesive put out by Lineco Inc., which is called simply "Neutral pH
adhesive".  However, the main ingredient is polyvinyl acetate (PVA)
which I believe is nonreversible, and we have also had complaints by
staff of its odors, which some find overwhelming after prolonged use in
a ventilated environment.  If there are other herbariums out there who
have found an effective, safe, and archival quality adhesive for
botanical specimens, some suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Also, as a side note, does anyone know if PVA might be the source of the
irritating odor?  Or any other side effects of PVA known?

Thanks,

Stephanie Pau
Curatorial Asst., Botany Dept.
California Academy of Sciences