Preserving images, documents and reels
Family history projects have two goals—1) collecting
family stories, data, photographs, and memorabilia and 2) preserving all
that you’ve collected for future generations. Common storage practices may
actually be contributing to the deterioration of your photos. Learn safe
handling and storage methods that will stretch the life of your treasured
family mementos. This page and the following links will teach you how to
safely store photographs as well as other visual and audio media.
Create a Family History Archive
Store all of your family history memorabilia in the safest
place in your house. The best place is a central closet in an air-conditioned
room that does not abut an outside wall, and is not in the basement or attic. Make
sure there are no water pipes nearby. Do not store any items on the floor.
- Find a
place as close to ideal conditions as possible
- Temperature 60-70˚F/18˚C
- Relative humidity 30-50%
- Clean air & good circulation
- Dry—dampness encourages pests and mold.
- Dark—ultra violet rays in sunlight and fluorescent lighting are particularly harmful
- Free of paint fumes, plywood, cardboard, or cleaning supplies
Properly
prepare and store like things together. Each of the following should be in
separate archival-safe containers:
Sources:
“Care, Handling, and Storage of Photographs” — Library of Congress
“Preparing Your Family Treasures" — Library of Congress
“Preserving Family Papers” — National Archives
"Caring
for your Photographs” — American Institute for Conservation of Historic and
Artistic Works (AIC), provided by Stanford University
Copyright September 2009 Family History Coach. All rights reserved Last update April 27, 2010
