Tips for Preservation of Important Items
(Courtesy of Cliff Hight, Archivist/Curator, Royal Gorge Regional Museum and History Center, Cañon City, Colorado)
General Tips:
Bound material:
• Keep items in a stable environment
o Temperature: 65 to 70° F
o Humidity: 35 to 50%
o Light—reduce exposure, especially direct sunlight or halogen or
fluorescent bulbs
• If displaying, use copies whenever possible
• Avoid storing items in the attic or basement
• A good storage spot is an upper shelf in a closet
• Wash hands before handling items; avoid eating or drinking around them
• Don’t use rubber bands to keep items together (they deteriorate)
• Encapsulate, don’t laminate documents
• Avoid using pressure-sensitive tape (Scotch, etc.) or sticky notes on items
• Avoid using most plastic bins or tubs to store items; use acid-free, lignin-free
boxes or inert plastic bins (i.e. polyester, polyethylene, polypropylene)
• If storing in boxes, place hardcover books spine down to reduce wear
• Avoid creasing the spine of softcover books
• Use bookends when storing on shelves
• Use something other than top of spine (headcap) to remove hardcover
books from shelf
Photo Prints:
• Avoid using adhesives directly on the front or back of photos
• Avoid writing on photos with ballpoint pens; use soft-lead pencils or
archival non-ballpoint pens
• Avoid albums that have “magnetic” pages
• Use enclosures (sleeves, boxes, etc.) to keep grit off images
• Ink jet printing on regular paper will fade more quickly than higher quality
prints
• Color prints fade less in a cooler environment
• Use acid-free and UV-filtering materials when framing
Newspapers:
• Isolate from other material when possible, or use buffered acid-free tissue
paper or acid-free rag-bond paper to interleave
• Avoid folding if possible; if not, use established creases
• If folded, avoid opening and closing repeatedly
Large format (maps, etc):
• Store flat or loosely rolled, never fold
• If you have to roll, use something with a 4-8" diameter and cover it with
acid-free material before rolling
Scrapbooks:
• Avoid using glue or tape; use acid-free photo mounting corners
• Make sure the pages of the scrapbook are acid-free
• Store flat or with the spine down
Digital files (photos, documents, email, etc):
• Be wary of storing files on CDs or DVDs for more than a few years
• Have multiple copies of files (remember LOCKSS)
• Whenever possible, keep the original printed item
Moving Images:
• Digitize film reels if possible to reduce potential problems with old players
and/or deteriorating film
• If digitizing, use only reputable vendors and keep the original film or tape
• If a film smells like vinegar, separate it from other films and do some
research on vinegar syndrome
• Store in cool and dry area (many places use freezers)
Artwork:
• Avoid touching canvas or drawing surface of original pieces
• Use acid-free and UV-filtering materials when framing
Textiles:
• Don’t use washing machine to clean; non-colored items can be washed by
hand after consulting proper resources
• Don’t iron; only dry clean if cleaner is willing to custom clean
• If fragile, store in acid-free boxes with acid-free tissue paper
• If sturdy, hang on padded, unscented hanger
• Display fragile items by draping and not hanging
Objects:
Manuscript material:
• Avoid folding pages (for example, old letters in envelopes)
• Store in acid-free folders and boxes if possible
• Label folders in pencil to reduce shuffling through material inside folders
• Use distilled water or isopropyl alcohol to clean most surfaces
• Use soft-bristled toothbrushes and cotton swabs or balls
• Store in an appropriately-sized enclosure to protect from dust
• Include information about the object (date, history, relevance)
Web Resources
CSU Libraries, “Preservation of Family Paper Documents.” http://lib.colostate.edu/mps/digitalunit/ , click on “Family Documents” or go to:
http://lib.colostate.edu/mps/images/Preservation_Family_Paper_Documents_Rev_January_2011.pdf
The Library of Congress, “Preparing, Protecting, Preserving Family Treasures.” http://www.loc.gov/preserv/familytreasures/index.html
The National Archives, “Caring for Your Family Archives.” http://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/
Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), “Resources for Private and Family Collections.” http://www.nedcc.org/resources/resources.php
Central New York Library Resources Council, “Documentary Heritage Program.” http://www.clrc.org/downloads/DocFamilyHistory.pdf
Society of American Archivists (SAA), “Guide to Donating Your Personal or Family Papers to a Repository.”
http://www.archivists.org/publications/donating-familyrecs.asp
Society of California Archivists, “The Preserving Your History Brochure Series.” http://www.calarchivists.org/Default.aspx?pageId=672407
Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), “How to Care for…” http://www.preservation.gc.ca/howto-comment/grid-eng.asp
The National Park Service (NPS), “Conserve O Grams” [about 170] http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html
Society of Rocky Mountain Archivists (SRMA) list of professional conservators, http://www.srmarchivists.org/index.php?q=content/conservation
Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), “Frequently Asked Questions” http://www.nedcc.org/ask/frequently.php
NEDCC’s page of 60 leaflets about various aspects of preservation: http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets.list.php
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) [click on “Resource Center” in left tab] http://www.conservation-us.org/
Conservation OnLine (CoOL), “Resources for Conservation Professionals”
http://cool.conservation-us.org/
Image Permanence Institute. http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/
The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), “Guidelines, Manuals, Q&As and Fact Sheets.”
http://www.amianet.org/resources/guidelinesnologin.php?accesscheck=%2Fresources%2Fguidelines.php
Film Forever, sponsored by AMIA.
http://www.filmforever.org/
Some archival product vendors (also check office supplies stores)
Archival Methods, http://www.archivalmethods.com/
Gaylord, http://www.gaylord.com/
Hollinger Metal Edge, http://www.hollingermetaledge.com/
Light Impressions, http://www.lightimpressionsdirect.com/
Talas, http://www.talasonline.com/
University Products, http://www.universityproducts.com/