HOW TO PRESERVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS, DOCUMENTS. NEGATIVES AND SLIDES!

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1 HOW TO PRESERVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS, DOCUMENTS. NEGATIVES AND SLIDES! FADING & DETERIORATION FROM: Food, liquids, glue, smoke, extended sunlight or intense artificial light. Light exposure, moisture (high humidity) and temperature. Oils and salts, lotions, dust and dirt transfer from hands to photos, etc. HANDLE TREASURED ITEMS CAREFULLY and RARELY! Wear white gloves! A fingerprint today is a brown stain in the future! Wash hands and handle items with support and respect. Place on a flat surface. CLEANING & REPAIRING ITEMS: Use a soft brush to gently remove dirt and dust. Do NOT press the brush firmly. Use a soft, clean microfiber cloth to remove fingerprints from photos. NEVER use liquids to clean your items! Remove any metal paperclips, staples and rubber bands. Use plastic clips only. Remove adhesives with an archival spatula, if possible. Severely dirty, stained or damaged photos and negatives should be restored by a professional! ARCHIVING YOUR PHOTOS: Place in polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) or polyester (PET) or Mylar sleeves (especially fragile items) or cover from top to bottom with acid-free, lignin-free paper to separate items. Be sure any notes or envelopes you want to stay with the photos are separated with archival paper. For loose photos, store flat, large items on the bottom. Horizontal stacking of photos in archival folders, evenly distributed, is recommended. Label and place in Archival Boxes (both acid and lignin free). Do not overstuff boxes. Use silica gel. *Safest storage boxes have passed the Photographic Activity Test or PAT. Try archival suppliers: Gaylord.com, HollingerMetalEdge.com, TalasOnline.com and unclutter.com to name a few.

2 ARCHIVING YOUR DOCUMENTS: No writing directly on photos or documents. Try to journal on separate paper. If absolutely necessary, which is rare, use a graphite #2 pencil or an archival special pen. Place documents in separate Mylar sleeves. Don't fold but if they are fragile and unable to open without damage, just place as is, in a Mylar sleeve. Use professional photo mounting corners (black or clear) to place in an archival album. Easy to Undo! If possible, make digital copies of every genealogical document and store the original. Very old documents may be of historical and cultural value to us all. Contact your historical society or a professional conservator in your area or check the American Institute of Conservation at ARCHIVING NEGATIVES AND SLIDES: Use special Mylar sleeves and special storage boxes that hold multiple strips of negatives or slides which will make storage and labeling much easier. ANTIQUE PHOTOGRAPHS: Older photos and negatives like daguerreotypes, ambrotypes and glass-plate negatives should be placed in Mylar sleeves or in acid-free archival envelopes. Be careful to avoid scratches. Photocopy! Scan into Picasa and lighten them. See: And: www. unclutter.com/2011/11/22/how-to-preserve-photographs-worthkeeping-in-three-simple-steps. WHAT IS THE BEST BACKUP STRATEGY TO PRESERVE OLD PHOTOS, DOCUMENTS, SLIDES, NEGATIVES AND ALBUMS? SCAN! COPY! TRANSCRIBE! PRESERVE! DIGITIZE WITH WOLVERINE (WOLFY)! SEE PEGGY WEEKS! SIGN UP IN THE COMPUTER ROOM! BACKUP/BACKUP/BACKUP AS SOON AS POSSTBLE!

3 PRESERVING DIGITAL MEMORIES Original family photos and documents have rich personal meaning. lf lost, the information they provide can never be replaced. Everything deteriorates over time and our goal now is to preserve and prolong their life as long as possible. Lose your phone or fry your hard drive and photos may be lost forever. IDENTIFY YOUR PHOTOS AND DOCUMENTS: Identify all your digital images on cameras, computers and removable media, such as, memory cards, scandisks, flash or thumb drives, external hard drives, DVD's and CD's. Include images on the Web like Facebook. DECIDE WHICH PHOTOS ARE MOST IMPORTANT: Pick the important images which have the most meaning. Don't try to preserve all of them, especially for the same event. If multiple images, save the one with the highest quality. ORGANIZE THE SELECTED PHOTOS AND DOCUMENTS: Give individual photos and documents descriptive file names, such as, Vacation to Alaska Tag photos with names of people and descriptive subjects, e.g. John Parsons, Alaskan cruise Create a directory/folder on computer to put the images you select, e.g. Family Tree Maker, John Parsons, media. Write a brief description of the directory structure and the photos and documents. MAKE COPIES AND STORE THEM IN DIFFERENT PLACES: Make at least 3 copies of your photos and documents! One copy can stay on your computer; put other copies on separate media, such as, DVD's, CD's, portable hard drives, thumb drives or internet storage. Store copies in different locations that are as physically apart as possible. If disaster strikes in one location, your digital memories should be safe in the other place. Use a home safe, safe deposit box or relative's home. Consider an online "cloud" paid backup program, such as:

4 - unlimited backup capacity, $59/yr - Dropbox Pro, various storage and pricing plans, 100GB for paying customers www. mozy.com - unlimited capacity, $5.99/mo. or for FREE: - Dropbox Basic, 2GB of free storage GB of free storage - 7GB of free storage Put a copy of the PHOTO INVENTORY with your important papers in a secure location. Check your digital photos and documents at least once a year to be sure you can read them. Create new media copies every five years or when necessary to avoid data loss. See : www. digitalpreservation.gov/personal archiving/photos.html

5 Preserving Heirloom quilts and textiles: Categories: 1. Textiles you display 2. Textile you wear and use regularly 3. Textiles you store long term Agents that deteriorate textiles: 1. Light - incandescent, halogen and fluorescent bulbs, sunlight, photo flash limit display to 6-9 months. 2. Temperatures and humidity - temp. at degree, hum % not over 70% - check textiles every 6 months for mold and mildew. 3. Dust, dirt and pollutants - gently wash, if delicate vacuum with mesh screen 4. Insects and rodents - clean housekeeping and insect control is important. Keep in climate controlled home not attic and basements- Quilts are special because they reflect a certain time in history and a certain wealth or stature. They may mark events or anniversaries, be signed and dated and are passed down through generations. Care of quilts is complicated because of the multiple layers, type of fabric, color fastness, delicate embroidery, stitches, embellishments and large size. Preserving an old quilt 1. Unfold it, and photograph both sides in a well-lit area 2. Take close up photos of embellishments and signatures 3. Inspect for damage and photo any damaged areas before you clean it 4. If of high sentimental value, contact to find a conservator in your area. Safely clean: 1. Examine the quilt first for problems 2. Vacuum the front and back with a soft brush attachment and low suction to remove dust, dirt, insect debris- 3. If it is delicate, frayed or split fabrics, or embellished as a crazy quilt, hold a piece of nylon mesh over the quilt as a protection screen while vacuuming. 4. To kill insects and larvae, wrap the quilt tightly in heavy-duty plastic zipper bag or seal bag with duct tape and freeze at -10 degrees for 10 days. Thaw at room temperature to avoid condensation, then open and re-vacuum. Don't: 1. Don't dry clean it, most cleaners do not have experience with heirloom textiles and I don't think the chemicals are good for textiles 2. Don't put in a washer or dryer unless newly made. 3. Never put your quilts or textiles in plastic.

6 How to wash a quilt 1. If you are sure it won't bleed, run, tear, fray, or fall apart, a. wash it gently in a tub with a ph balanced quilt soap, b. rinse it many times, c. gently push out as much water as possible without ringing it tightly, d. lift quilt out of the tub by using a sheet under it, e. dry flat on layers of towels or blankets. How to store a quilt and textiles 1. Roll or fan-fold the quilt and put crushed archival (acid-free) tissue between the layers 2. Wrap in acid-free tissue or a clean cotton sheet or in a cotton pillowcase 3. Twice a year, refold the quilt in a different way to avoid permanent creases 4. Store in an acid-free box 5. If using a cedar chest or drawer or wooden shelf, put a clean cotton sheet as a buffer between the quilt and the acidic wood. 6. Costume and clothing can be stored on padded hangers and covered with a muslin dust cover. 7. Hats, shoes can be padded out with acid-free tissue to keep their shape 8. Store it in your climate controlled home, not the attic, garage or basement 9. Articles on care Display your quilt 1. Textiles in poor condition should not be displayed. 2. If sturdy and free of heavy embellishments, hang it from the top edge. 3. Hand stitch a cotton sleeve at the top of quilts and put a rod through it, this supports the entire width of the quilt not just the corners or 3 or 4 places. 4. Place quilt flat on a rarely used bed. Be sure pets do not sleep on them. 5. Keep away from bright and direct sunlight. 6. Avoid places of odor (kitchen) and humidity (baths, basements). 7. Give quilts a rest and rotate them with stored quilts. 8. Delicate or fragile textiles need to be supported on a padded rigid backing board (acidfree) with hand stitches for support 9. If framed, use UF protecting glazing in glass or Plexiglas and use a spacer between the textile and glass. Preserve the story behind the textiles 1. Photograph them 2. Write out who made or bought them, when, where and why, cost, where the fabric came from, etc. 3. Put this info on acid-free card stock written with archival pen and attach it to the textile with white thread not a safety pin or put the document and photo in a polypropylene sheet protector to keep with the stored textile. 4. Keep another photo and record off site.

7 PHOTO ALBUMS or SCRAPBOOKS Avoid albums made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acetate, or nitrate containing plastics which will emit harmful acids and gases. Don't use self-stick (magnetic type) albums. Buy archival quality albums, accessories and tools. Remove old newspaper articles from old albums and copy them on archival paper or place them in separate Mylar sleeves. Newsprint has the shortest life of any paper! When its acids contaminate neighboring documents, it's called acid migration. Not only leaves a brown stain but starts the process of acid disintegration in neighboring documents. Use an archival spatula to remove old photos, tape or glue from the page. Digitally scan or copy old album pages to increase longevity. Some albums should be stored flat in archival boxes which are plain colored so color won't bleed if it gets wet. Other albums should be stored upright to reduce pressure with room to "breathe", such as, Creative Memories Scrapbooks. A slipcover or slipcase may be used but not too tight or it will age faster. See: Scrapbook Preservation Society at STORE IN THE RIGHT SPOT! NOT IN THE GARAGE, ATTIC OR BASEMENT! An interior closet in a house that is air-conditioned in the summer and heated in the winter! Guest bedroom, linen closets OK or under the bed in archival boxes with no heat/ac duct nearby. FINDING A CONSERVATOR The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works [email protected] and Heritage Preservation: