Preservation of Documents & Photos

Huntington Library Guidelines Taking Your History to the Future: Preservation Care for Family Papers and Photographs
November 23, 2013 

Brooke M. Black, Chief Cataloger, Manuscripts, The Huntington Library and Jennifer Allan Goldman, Curator and Institutional Archivists, Manuscripts, The Huntington Library

A.      Vocabulary
  • Acid-free: Browning, yellowing indicates paper was not acid free
  • Lignin- free
  • Stable
  • Acid burn / transfer
  • Archival quality
  • Hollinger Metal Edge; Gaylord; DEMCO
  • “Sleeving”: if all 4 sides are sealed, acid will be trapped and damage will occur faster.
  • Interleaving: with acid free paper- if you have photo albums, you can put acid free paper in between pages.  Acid free tissue paper is okay.

Suggestions: Paper today is relatively good.  Use acid free pens.  Do not use: Scotch tape, 2 papers next to each other, folded crease will rip and tear, flattening which were folded documents could hurt it.

B.       The Handler
  • Cleanliness is next to…: dust, dirt, drinks, store in clean place like a closet, not the attic or basement.  Wash hands before touching document. 
  • Be cool, don’t drool. don’t get sweat or blood on paper.
  • Clear the way.
  • Two hands are better than one.
  • To glove or not to glove? Photos: Cotton gloves, not latex, if handling photographs. Don’t get fingerprints on emulsion layer. Hold by edges.  Sleeve them.
  • Get support.  Use book cradle; 2 hands

C.       The Handling
  • Photos: Cotton gloves, not latex, if handling photographs. Don’t get fingerprints on emulsion layer. Hold by edges.  Sleeve them.
  • Papers (not oversized): Don’t handle too much or hold on one corner- lay them flat.
  • Oversized paper items: can be rolled with support; wrap with Mylar- use acid free tubes
  • Books: use cradle or use other books to support when opening at an angle, so binding doesn’t crack.  Don’t pull on the spine when removing from book shelf; put finger on paper not binding; don’t cram books together;
  • Digital “items”

D.      The Tools
  • Acid-free folders and sheets
  • Plastic sleeves
  • Rubber eraser
  • Spatula- remove staples; don’t use claw.
  • Folding bone
  • pH pen

E.       Where Did I Leave My Archives?
  • Keep your paper and photo collections in a cool, dry, dark, and stable location
  • Good storage locations include a closet or a spare room
  • Protect your items with many layers
  • Use acid-free folders and boxes
  • Interleave with acid-free paper
  • Use the right size for the item
  • Store photographs in sleeves
  • Paper (acid-free and lignin-free)
  • Plastic (Mylar®, Hostaphan® or Melinex; polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene).

F.       User Beware
  • Papers clips and staples will dent your items and can rust.
  • Rubber bands, tape, and sticky notes will leave a residue.
  • Newspaper clippings will burn the items around them, leaving brown marks and hastening paper decay.
  • Displaying an item on the wall will speed up the fading of ink and the decay of paper fibers.

G.      Memories that Bind
  • Light damage to a photograph cannot be undone, but it can be delayed.
  • Bent or rolled prints are best stored in their bent or rolled forms. Flattening photographs incorrectly can permanently damage the image.
  • Not all photo albums are damaging the prints, but some are.
  • Before disassembling an album, make a copy of each page to preserve context and any original information.

H.      Oops!
  • Papers and ephemera can be gently cleaned with a rubber eraser if they are VERY dirty.
  • Rubber bands and tape usually dry out over time and can be peeled off or GENTLY removed using a micro-spatula.
  • Paper clips and staples can be removed using a micro-spatula and a square of plastic.
  • Consider creating a preservation photocopy for highly-acidic items and sticky notes.

I.        Don’t Forget the Books!
  • A cool, dry, dark, and stable location is best.
  • Store books vertically on the middle of a bookshelf.
  • Clean books by dusting with a clean, dry cloth or a soft-bristled brush. DO NOT OIL YOUR BOOKS.
  • Take off the shelf from the sides or the text block, not the top of the spine.
  • Consider putting books and pamphlets in boxes or envelopes to further protect them from the elements.

J.        Bits & Bytes
  • Scanning is not the solution for long-term preservation.
  • Create a “Master File”
  • High-resolution RAW or TIFF file with no modifications.
  • Make a filename that means something: MurielAllen95bday1.tif
  • Use the “Master File” to create access copies
  • Color-correct  the access copy
  • Save with a lower resolution to a compressed JPEG or GIF format.

K.       Born in the (Digital) USA
  • Nothing lasts forever – file types and storage options change.
  • Use widely-used software for your files.
  • Create a preservation copy.
  • Use stripped-down formats like .txt , .html or .pdf.
  • Save in many places – redundancy is key.
  • Retrieve regularly and migrate to newer file formats when necessary.

L.       Resources