Preserving Family Collections

Family collections and personal archives usually consist mostly of paper artefacts such as letters, diaries, certificates, photographs, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, documents and artworks. Careful handling and storage will extend the life of these items.

Care and Handling

Always wash your hands before handling paper artefacts. Paper easily absorbs skin oils and perspiration. If fragile material needs to be looked at frequently, photocopy the original onto acid-free paper.

Modern newsprint (since approximately 1850) is not a stable material. Newspapers and newspaper clippings will degrade over time and become yellow and brittle. Most fax paper is also inherently unstable. Preserve the information on these items by making photocopies onto acid-free paper.

Even if documents have tears and holes do not use 'sticky' tapes, such as Sellotape or masking tape to make repairs. They can cause lasting damage and staining. This is true also of repair tapes.

Metal fasteners such as staples, metal paper clips or pins may rust. Remove any existing metal fastenings and replace with plastic paperclips, or plastic-coated clips. Rubber bands dry out and become hard and brittle so it is a good idea to remove them.

It is very important not to laminate items you value and want to preserve. This process eventually causes damage to the items.

Loose surface dirt and dust can be removed using a soft brush. If paper smells musty, it has been exposed to damp or very humid conditions, and mould may have developed. Dry the item out thoroughly in a space with good air circulation, but do not apply heat. Mould can be brushed away with a soft brush after the material has thoroughly dried. Do this outside on a sunny day.

Storage

Your collection needs a clean environment with good air circulation, low light, and consistent temperature and humidity.

Do not store your collection directly on the floor or near water pipes. A burst water pipe can cause tremendous damage. If water damage does occur, dry the affected items immediately in cool, circulating air.

Store your collections where they have minimal exposure to light as this can cause fading and discolouration. Also avoid storage in warm, damp locations such as sheds or garages.

Folding and unfolding can break paper along the fold line – instead, store paper items flat. However, folded items that are very brittle should not be forced to open flat as this could cause further damage.

Letters and documents are best stored flat and unfolded in acid-free folders. Folders can be made from acid-free card or purchased from conservation suppliers. Standard office folders can be used if the documents inside are placed between sheets of acid-free paper to prevent contact with the folder.

If you want to use plastic enclosures or sleeves to store loose items, use only polyester, polypropylene or polyethylene sleeves. These can be purchased from conservation suppliers.

Folders or sleeves of loose material may be placed in boxes. Archival boxes and storage enclosures are available from conservation suppliers. Standard cardboard boxes may be used if they are first lined with an isolating material such as polyethylene sheeting, or acid-free tissue or paper.

Display

If you are displaying items like photographs or pictures avoid direct sunlight or substitute a colour copy if possible. Use blinds and curtains to reduce direct light. An interior hallway can be a good display area. Potentially humid areas, such as bathrooms, kitchens or exterior walls are not good places for displaying valuable pictures or photographs. Sources of heat can also cause materials to become very dry and brittle.

Regular cleaning of storage and display areas is a good way of helping to ensure that your collection remains dust and pest free.

Further information

The New Zealand Conservators of Cultural Materials website

Download a list of suppliers of conservation-quality materials