Can I keep documents and media together with rubber bands?

Unfortunately, no. The advantage of rubber bands is also their disadvantage. As long as the softeners in the rubber bands keep them elastic, they contract until the resistance offered by the object is greater than the tensile force in the rubber band. This places the objects in our collection doubly at risk:

• rubber bands often sit tightly around the media they are holding together. This can easily result in tears or creases. Older papers in particular are often thinner or more brittle at the edges than in the middle, as harmful influences such as warmth, sweat or grease can accelerate decay.
• The softeners in rubber bands can quickly make them sticky. The rubber band may then stick to the binding and damage it.