"SAVING THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE

Preserving family photographs, personal papers, and other precious materials provides a valuable legacy for future generations. Unfortunately, many of the methods and materials traditionally used to store and display these heirlooms can cause them to deteriorate and fade before their time. Follow these guidelines to keep your family memories vivid.

DO

• Store precious materials in a stable environment, below 75 degrees Fahrenheit and 50% humidity.
• Protect materials with acid-free boxes, sleeves, and folders.
• Mount items on acid-free paper using archivally safe mounts.
• Copy newspaper articles onto acid-free paper.
• Interleave acidic items, such as newsprint, with buffered tissue.
• Use only PVC-free page protectors such as polypropylene.
• Use adhesives such as glue sticks, starch paste, or methyl cellulose that are acid free.
• Identify and date each item directly on the item itself; identify each person in photographs.
• Use soft pencils and write with a light hand on the edge of the back, not behind the subjects
• Use only acid-free matting material and a window mat to hold photos and drawings away from glass.
• Provide acid-free supports behind large or brittle photos.
• Unfold or unroll items flat for storage (generally).

DO NOT

• Do not expose materials to unnecessary light, display only copies.
• Do not store precious materials in the attic, the basement, or hot or damp spaces.
• Do not store precious materials in wood boxes or cabinets, or in cardboard shoe boxes.
• Do not ever use "magnetic" pages in albums.
• Do not use tape of any kind (masking, transparent, or removable) or rubber cement.
• Do not use staples, ordinary paper clips, straight pins, or rubber bands.
• Do not use ball-point pens for marking.
• Do not write on paper that rests on top of precious books, photos, or documents.
• Do not press a book’s spine to force it completely open when reading or copying.
• Do not touch the image side of a photo or the emulsion (dull) side of a negative.