ORGANIZING, PRESERVING, AND
SAFEGUARDING FAMILY
RECORDS
Burt Altman, Certified Archivist
Independent Consultant
baltman@fsu.edu
Spring 2012
Organizing Family Archives:
Useful Tips
Identify
• Makes it meaningful to younger family members and future
generations
• Fully identify writers and recipients of letters (in pencil or a note)
• Photos: Write who, where, date, event
• Medals, other memorabilia: Write recipient, occasion, date
• Write down birth/death dates
• Write down parents’ and other family names
• Write down civilian/military service units, dates/places of service
• Any memorable experience
Organize: General Tips
• Goal: Prevent scattering or mis-identification
• All kinds of options – Depends on number, document type
Keep all of each person’s letters and other papers together
Keep one group of only letters
Single chronological run of all materials
Keep separate groups of each type of material
Keep photos or other items received with letters together
• Keep filing system simple – clear categories
• Survey your archives fully before assigning categories of organizing
Organize: Old Family Letters
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If there’s an original order that makes sense, keep it that way.
Order tells us a lot about the original owners
If no order, best to organize correspondence by author first, then date
Try not to combine/interfile an author’s letters or pages with another
Organize: Legal/Financial
Records
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Depends on Number of Documents
Organize by author or institution (large collection)
Organize by year (small collection)
Organize by record type (wills, birth certificates, etc.)
Choose method that’s most straightforward
Avoid organization by subject (one document=multiple subjects)
Organize: Bound Volumes
• Don't take things apart that are bound together (journals, scrapbooks)
• To note a particular page, use a slip of acid-free paper as a bookmark,
or take a digital photo of that page.
PHOTOGRAPHS
ARRANGEMENT
Levels Vary:
By Collection, Box, Folder, or Item
Level
Collection Level
• Minimum level of information to describe the papers of a single person
or organization.
• Keep as uncomplicated as possible
• Example:
• Bessie and Leon Sheff, 2 Photograph Albums and 3 Boxes of Loose
Photographs, ca. 1880-1980. Note: Loose photos sticking together.
Photo removal or conservation work necessary.
Box Level
Examples of Descriptions
• 1 Box Post Cards, arranged alphabetically, ca 1940-1970 (1 cardfile
box)
• Marcia Altman’s hat box with photos from her high school and college
years (1917-1922).
Folder Level
• Makes finding a specific photo very simple.
Examples:
• All the photos from your school years in a folder
• Photos of your graduation weekend might take up an entire envelope
or folder.
• Put undated or unknown photo folders at end
Box 1: Anne Lyons Jacobs Photographs
Folder 1: Lyons Family Photos, 1880-1910
Folder 2: Unknown snapshots, ca. 1900-1920
Folder 3: Undated and Unknown snapshots
Item Level
• Good if more detailed description is required
• More “findable”
PRESERVING YOUR
FAMILY RECORDS
• Suggestions about how best to preserve your family papers,
photographs, audiovisual media, and books, recommended supplies
you can purchase to preserve them, and useful tips to prolong the life
of these precious mementoes.
Unbound Printed
Materials
• Official Documents
• Letters
• Scrapbooks
RUSSIAN PASSPORT, 1904
MY UNCLE ALEX’S WORLD WAR I DRAFT CARD
Storage and preservation tips
• Use “acid-neutral” or “lignin-free” file
folders and archival-quality boxes.
• Store boxes flat or upright.
• Don’t overfill boxes!
• Cheaper: Use a file cabinet that has
hanging racks/archival folders
• Store heavier items (e.g., books)
separately.
• Size and shape of enclosure should
closely match object(s) they hold.
• Good air circulation important.
• Avoid places with great fluctuations in
temperature or near water sources.
• Avoid direct sunlight.
Handling
Documents
• Remove and replace any damaging
fasteners, but leave fasteners in
place if removing them will cause
damage.
• Best to unfold documents and
manuscripts for storage.
• Photocopy any fragile or fading
documents, and newsprint onto
acid-free paper.
• Deacidify (Archival Mist, or
Bookkeeper are environmentallyfriendly deacidifying sprays)
Laminate or
Encapsulate?
• Lamination generally not recommended; accelerates
chemical aging of documents.
• Lamination uses harmful adhesives and heat that
bonds the document to the plastic.
• Lamination not reversible; you can’t undo what
you’ve done in case the technology changes or you
decide to change storage locations.
• Use encapsulation or good archival quality
containers to store your documents.
Scrapbook
Considerations:
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Store scrapbooks in individual boxes, by size.
Use duplicates of original photos in scrapbooks.
Use acid-free, lignin-free paper.
Use page protectors free of PVCs.
• Keep printed copies of your scrapbook layouts.
Photograph Preservation
Tips - “Do’s”
•Each photo negative and
print should have enclosure.
•Best stored flat in archival boxes.
•Use archival or “acid-neutral”
paper envelopes.
•Handle on edge or use cotton gloves.
•Keep in best environment possible.
Photograph Preservation
Tips - “Dont’s” - Don’t Use
• Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
• Unidentified plastics
• Materials with high acid content
• Glassine envelopes
• Wood pulp products
• Pressure-sensitive tape
• Rubber bands or paperclips
Audio Preservation
•Store vertically in archival boxes.
•Store in cool and dry conditions.
•Do NOT expose to direct sunlight.
•Store tapes away from magnetic fields and
sources of vibration.
•Create two copies of each recording.
Video Preservation
•Handle by the edge
•Store flat, in archival containers.
•Don’t put paper or loose material in
film storage box.
•Separate nitrate and acetate films.
•Can convert home movies to
videotape, but not a preservation option
now - good as “user copies.”
ALWAYS, ALWAYS,
ALWAYS:
• Regularly back up files
• Make two backup copies
• Store backup files on CD-ROMs
high-capacity zip disks, or portable
flash drives.
• Save files in TIF format for preservation
and copying; JPEG or GIF for viewing;
PDF files for printing.
• Tip: Upgrade your equipment.
• Tip: Transfer files to new media periodically.
Book Care
• Books need good air circulation
• Books should be held upright on
shelves.
• Books should not be shelved too
tightly.
• Use good quality bookends
• Do not stack books in piles on
shelves.
• Books should not extend beyond
the edges of shelves
Storage
• Paper and cloth bindings should not
be stored in direct contact with
leather
• Books with fragile bindings or
special value should be boxed for
protection.
• Slipcases should be avoided
because they often abrade the
surface of the binding
Acid is
Everywhere!
• Only use low-lignin, acid-free
bookplates.
• All acidic inserts, such as
bookmarks, scraps of paper, and
pressed flowers, should be removed
from books. Don’t use books to
preserve that newspaper clipping!
(Paper clips on book pages or on
inserts into books should be
removed, too. They rust!)
Mark Your Place,
Not Your Books!
• When marking your place in a
book, use a good quality
bookmark. Do not use anything
thick—such as a little notebook or
a pencil—to mark your place.
• Do not dog-ear corners.
• Do not place the book face down
or you risk cracking the spine or
hinges.
Fixing Books
Yourself
• DON’T use duct tape,
Scotch tape, rubber bands,
string, or store damaged
books in “baggies.”
• DO use archival tapes,
glues, rice paper and wheat
paste, and the tools to use
them correctly.
SAFEGUARDING YOUR FAMILY RECORDS:
PLANNING AHEAD BEFORE THE
HURRICANE SEASON AND
SALVAGING THEM IF DISASTER HITS
Papers, Books, Photos, AV, and other Media
SAFEGUARDING YOUR
FAMILY RECORDS
• MAKING PREPARATIONS:
• FOOD, WATER, EQUIPMENT, NECESSITIES
• VITAL RECORDS TO TAKE
• IMPORTANT FAMILY RECORDS
• RECOVERY:
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PAPERS
BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIALS
DISKS
RECORDINGS
HOME DISASTER PREPAREDNESS PLAN:
PROTECTION OF YOUR OWN LIFE IS PRIMARY!
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MEET AS A FAMILY TO DEVELOP A PLAN AND DO A “DRY RUN”
MAKE LIST OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEMS TO TAKE WITH
YOU.
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Medications and First Aid
Food and Water
Clothing and Toiletries
Pets
Legal and Financial Records
Cash
Extra set of car keys
Personal Address Book,
Phone/Yellow Pages Directory
Cellular Phone and Charger
Radio and Batteries
Computer CPU – peripherals replaceable
Papers
• Make Photocopies..
• Use large capacity storage boxes.
• Seal with duct tape and storage tape.
• Use archival page protectors (polyester,
polypropylene, or polyethylene, not
PVC)
• If odd-sized, use a single box or archival
shoe box with acid-free buffered
separating sheets.
• Store away from windows, fireplaces and
water pipes and from attics, basements
and garages.
Books
• Store away from windows, fireplaces and water pipes and
from attics, basements and garages.
• If books are in fragile condition, purchase book boxes.
ITEMS TO HAVE ON HAND FOR CLEANUP
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Plastic tub
Clean water
Rubber gloves
Rubber boots
Large plastic storage bags
Can create your own home disaster response kit
from Protext:
http://www.protext.net/products/Products.html
RECOVERY: WET PAPERS
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Try to reduce temperature and humidity
Circulate air
Interleave sheets of paper towels
Freeze all items that cannot be dried
RECOVERY: WET BOOKS AND MAGAZINES
• Act within 48 hours.
• Do not use bleaches, detergents, fungicides, disinfectants, staples or
paper clips on wet paper.
• Allow air to circulate.
• Handle carefully.
• Keep book covers on glossy paper apart
• Interleave sheets of white paper towel between pages.
• Keep wet magazines closed tight and freeze dry.
• If some mold or mildew on surface, dry ASAP and use face mask with
a carbon filter.
• Outside, remove surface mold with a very soft, clean brush
• If can’t be dried right away, freeze them in a freezer bag, with a piece
of wax paper between each book.
Additional Book Recovery Examples
Use Fan for Air Circulation
Interleave Coated Pages
With Paper Towels ASAP
Can Stack Nearly
Dry Books Under Weights
RECOVERY: PHOTOS, NEGATIVES, FILMS
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DO NOT: Stack wet photos; touch the surface of
the wet photo or let anything touch their surfaces.
Use fans to circulate the air, dry items within 48 hours,
and freeze all items that cannot be dried.
Save color photos first, followed by black and white
prints, slides, negatives.
Dry them out, or freeze them within 48 hours
Rinse off any dirt or mud, put them into ziplock freezer bags,
and freeze within 48 hours.
Photos on plastic coated paper can also be hung to dry.
For film, get help from a photo lab after they’ve been
immersed in cold, clean water. After washing and drying,
can be placed in a sandwich bag or other archival material.
Immerse motion pictures in cold water, but have them rewashed
by an experienced film processing lab within 48 hours.
For microfilm, put film into basin filled with cold (distilled) water.
Recovery: Scrapbooks
• Don’t move them until you’ve found a place has been prepared for
them.
• Support large scrapbooks with boards.
• Air dry if small group and are either damp or water damaged around
edges. Keep air moving constantly with fans.
• Use dehumidifiers to reduce relative humidity to around 50%.
• Interleave pages with uninked newsprint or blotter, and place books on
tables.
• If scrapbook isn’t boxed and binding is loose, wrap in freezer paper,
and freeze as quickly as possible.
RECOVERY: FLOPPY DISKS AND CDS
• Water-damaged diskettes should be dried out quickly and
evenly, or kept wet until they can be dried properly.
• Dry damp diskettes with a blow dryer on low heat setting.
• If there’s too many, keep them immersed in clean cold
water in clean containers, and change the water daily.
Recovering CDs or Records:
• Do not dry in direct sunlight or use hair dryer – will cause
warping.
• Wash in clean water and air dry.
• Reproduction recommended if you have important data or
family photos stored.
Recovery: Reel to Reel Audiotapes
• Do not unwind tapes or remove from reel.
• Air dry within 48 hours. Use fans to keep air
moving.
• Pack vertically into plastic crates or cardboard
cartons.
• Since most contamination on outer layers of
tape, wash exposed edges with distilled water.
• Air dry by supporting reels vertically or by
laying reels on sheets of clean blotter.
• Use portable dehumidifiers to to slowly
remove moisture from tape, and bring down
relative humidity to about 50%.
• Once dry, assess tape for further cleaning and
duplication; consult conservator if needed.
Recovering Videotapes
• If damp, try to blow dry them, or
– Find a video duplicating and transfer service.
– Ask a film lab that works with movie film to see if they
can chemically dry and clean the tape.
Some Useful Resources
•American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
http://aic.stanford.edu/library/online/brochures/index.html
•Heritage Preservation Task Force: “Tips for Salvaging Water-Damaged Valuables.”
http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PROGRAMS/tftips.htm
•NEDCC Resources for Private and Family Collections
http://nedcc.org/resources/family.php
•Conservation OnLine – has a section on disaster planning and recovery
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/
•Library of Congress: Preserving Family Treasures
http://www.loc.gov/preservation/family/
Questions?
http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/
presskits/pwptk
If Help Is Needed
• I am also available to discuss, plan, and
implement projects to organize, preserve,
and make your family or organizational
records available.
Burt Altman
barchivist@gmail.com
(850) 212-7050