Preserving Your Family’s History

Historic Takoma, Inc.

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May 19, 2024

The Program

• Planning
• Organization & Documentation
• Care & Storage
• Conservation/Preservation
• Demonstration - materials, types of supplies, techniques
• Questions & Advice

Why & What

• Be intentional - what’s your purpose? goal?
• Family history - people, dates, locations
• Travel (brochures, journals, postcards, souvenirs)
• Paper? Documents? Objects? Pictures?
• Interviews (oral histories)

Leaving a Legacy

What do you want people in the future to know about you and your family?

• Pictures? Addresses? Occupations? Schools?
• Significant dates? (births, anniversaries, graduations,...)
• Anecdotes
• Daily life - cars, clothing, household items, utility bills,....

How will you capture and document?

Getting Started - Inventory, Assessment, Plan

What do you have?

• People, events, locations
• Papers/documents, photographs, clippings, scrapbooks, objects, audio/visual, digital
• Make and keep an inventory

Make a plan

• How will you organize?
• Storage
• Supplies and materials needed
• Document your work

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Organizing & Presenting

“Like” Items

• Source
• Material
• Date

Files/Boxes

Books

Photo albums

Trees/Genealogy

Documentation

• Names - complete
• Dates - don’t forget years
• Locations - be specific if that’s important for the story
• Don’t wait - document as events happen

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Keep Inventory/Records

Care & Storage

• Handling
• Processing

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• Housing

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Handling - With Care!

• Clean, uncluttered work area; no food/drink in work area
• Clean, dry, cool hands - no lotion!
• Maintain original order; look at one item at a time
• Use two hands; lift carefully and support; handle by edges - esp. photos; use powderless nitrile or latex gloves for fragile photographs

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• Avoid placing note taking papers or pads on top of items or leaning directly on them

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Processing

• Remove paper clips, rubberbands, and sticky notes; remove staples when feasible
• Use only pencils for notes (e.g. names/dates)
• Place items in folders and sleeves - document the contents on the folder
• Organize in accordance with your plan
• Store neatly in a stable environment

Agents of Deterioration - Know Your Enemy!

• Improper handling and storage
• Bright light
• Temperature and humidity
• Pests and mold
• Water

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Proper Storage

• Acid-free and other archival quality housing
• Away from bright light
• Stable environment, preferably <70-75 degrees and relative humidity of 45-55%; avoid significant fluctuations; no garages, attics, basements
• Keep fragile items flat; avoid “slumping” in boxes; tight fitting lids
• Use pest traps and monitor them

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Storage Materials

Long-term preservation and protection

• Acid-free boxes, folders, envelopes
• Acid-free buffer paper
• Sleeves

Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good - prioritize

• Most important items
• Most vulnerable items

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Conservation & Preservation

Paper

Newspaper

Photographs

Audio/Visual (recordings)

Objects (metal, textiles)

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Dealing with Paper

Letters, documents, scrapbooks

• Remove paper clips, rubber bands, sticky notes; staples if feasible
• Clip with folder paper if necessary
• Use mini-spatula
• Unfold and carefully flatten items
• Save envelopes and folders that have important information (dates, names, locations, sources)

Storing Paper

• Isolate newspaper
• House in acid-free folders (preferred) or new, clean good quality
• Clearly label folders
• Do not overfill folders
• Separate fragile papers with acid-free buffer paper or store separately
• Use envelopes or plastic sleeves to protect small and fragile items individually
• If possible, store like sized and weight items together
• Store upright in acid-free boxes; fill completely or use a spacer to avoid slumping
• Oversized items (e.g. scrapbooks) - store flat in appropriately sized boxes

Newspaper

• Isolate from other paper when possible
• Photocopy on to acid free paper when possible
• Buffer pages/clippings with acid-free paper
• Store oversized items flat

Photographs - prints, negatives, slides

• Remove paper clips, rubber bands, sticky notes
• Remove from non-archival photo albums
• If necessary, document information on back using PENCIL
• Save envelopes and folders that have important information (dates, names, locations, sources)
• When feasible house individually; use sleeves; separate with buffer paper
• Store large items in flat boxes
• Label

Old Photo Albums

Digital Materials

• Magnetic Media (tapes - audio/video)
• Transfer to digital
• Store on digital drive (external drive)
• Optical Media (CDs, DVDs)
• Store in sleeves, cases; store vertically and in boxes to protect from dust
• Transfer to digital drive (external drive)
• Born Digital (pictures from your phone)
• Back Up - secondary/tertiary locations; off-site

Digitizing

Why digitize?

• Protection/preservation
• Use and access
• Sharing
• Reproduction

What to digitize?

• Magnetic media (tapes)
• Photographs
• Documents

Objects - Textiles

• Clean with gentle vacuum
• Store flat; minimize folds
• Use acid free tissue paper; acid free boxes
• Undyed cotton fabric (muslin) as an option
• Do not pack tightly - allow for air flow to avoid mold

• Cleaning
• clean minimally; avoid furniture polish, varnish, harsh cleaners, abrasives; use water sparingly and thoroughly dry objects before storing; Hand-painted items should not be cleaned
• only consider removing tarnish from silver items that are going to be used, because a fresh surface invites more tarnish corrosion.
• consult a conservation professional for the cleaning of high value items

Objects - Metal, Ceramic, Glass, Gems, Plastics, Enamel…

• Wide variety of materials; many objects are composites; there can also be a wide variety of sizes and shapes
• Document - record date, ownership history; consider photographing items (helps avoid unnecessary handling, documents current condition)
• Handling – special care is needed because objects can become fragile with time; wear gloves with metal items, not for glass, ceramics, etc.

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Objects - Display and Storage

Display

• Choose a safe location in terms of the environment: temperature, humidity, and sunlight exposure
• Place items where they have good physical protection.

Store

• Avoid storing varying types of materials together
• Encapsulate individual items with acid free materials and good air ventilation
• Small items can be placed in small plastic bags
• Check regularly for insect infestation and mold growth

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Some Basic Tools

• Pencils (#2)
• Vinyl erasers
• Tape measure (cloth)
• Micro spatula, staple remover

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Additional Helpful Tools

• Magnifying glass
• Brushes
• Gloves
• pH pen
• Small weights
• Slide viewer
• Light box

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Basic Supplies

Sturdy boxes - preferably acid-free

File folders - preferably acid-free

Sleeves and envelopes

Acid-free paper

Additional Supplies

Sleeves for photos, negatives

Acid-free tissue paper

Spacers for boxes

Small bags

Tags

Twine/cloth ribbon

Pest traps

Plastic/stainless steel paperclips

Conclusion

Be thoughtful

Set priorities

Be reasonable - don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good

Storage Environment

Best - climate control, temperature/humidity; pest free; solid boxes on sturdy shelves

Good - stable climate, temperature/humidity; pest free; solid boxes on sturdy shelves

Bad - basements/attics/garages; erratic temperature; broken boxes (or no boxes!)

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Paper

Best - acid free folders and appropriately sized acid free boxes; sleeves for fragile items; buffers; large items flat; rubber bands, clips, etc. removed; well labeled folders and boxes

Good - new, clean folders; sturdy boxes; rubber bands, clips, etc. removed; well labeled folders and boxes; well labeled folders and boxes

Bad - misc. shoe boxes, loose papers; no folders; piles; rubber bands and clips inact; no labeling

Photographs

Best - acid free sleeves; buffer paper between items; store large items flat; acid-free folders and appropriately sized acid free boxes; rubber bands, clips, etc. removed; well labeled folders and boxes

Good - new, clean folders; sturdy boxes; rubber bands, clips, etc. removed; well labeled folders and boxes; well labeled folders and boxes

Bad - misc. shoe boxes, loose papers; no folders; piles; rubber bands and clips inact; no labeling

Comments, Questions & Discussion