Research by Subject: Family History Archiving: Storage & Care

Books on Storage and Care

How to Save Your Stuff from a Disaster by Scott M. Haskins
Call Number: 5th Floor Books ; Z701.4.U6 H37 1996
Discover how to protect and save your treasured family memorabilia, heirlooms, collectables, photographs, documents-letters-certificates and other cherished family history items from earthquakes, hurricanes, tornados, floods, shipping and handling... and your grandkids! Complete easy, inexpensive and fun how-to instructions.
Caring for Your Collections by National Committee to Save America's Cultural Collections
Call Number: 3rd Floor Books ; AM303 .C37 1992
Outlines the routine care and preventive maintenance of paintings, furniture, musical instruments, textiles, and other collectibles.

Guides on Preserving Family Archives

National Archives Guide on How to Preserve Family Archives (Paper and Photographs)
Maybe a relative sent you old letters, certificates, and family photographs and you are not sure what to do. Maybe you’re wondering how to save your child’s pictures and other mementos. These simple tips will help you preserve your family papers and photographs for the next generation.
Six Tips for Preserving Family Archives
Advice from Smithsonian Institution Archives staff on preserving your family's history.
Conservación y organización de los papeles de familia
Este folleto le puede ayudar a determinar cuales son los documentos que vale la pena preservar, cómo protegerlos por medio de la preservación y la organización, y cuáles son buenos para compartir con nuestra comunidad.
Gaylord Archival Guide to Collections Care
Written by conservators, our illustrated primer covers the proper handling and storage of paper, photographs, textiles and books. This guide also includes case studies and a list of several additional resources.
Preservation 101: Preservation Basics For Paper and Media Collections Online Textbook
This free online resource provides a basic introduction to the concepts and standards used to build an effective preservation program, and includes a discussion of preservation policies, building and environment, care and handling of collection materials, reformatting, emergency preparedness, and conservation practices.

Emergency Management Resources

Recovering fire-damaged records
In the aftermath of a fire you need to move quickly, decisively and knowledgeably in order to save as much as can be saved. This advice is designed to provide the sort of information you need to properly handle the recovery process.
Recovering flood-damaged records
Records can get wet from a variety of sources, from the dramatic (a river bursting its banks) to the more mundane (a leaky water pipe). These events are termed 'floods' and all present the same dangers to the records involved. When records have become wet they are extremely vulnerable to damage. This danger increases as time passes, so urgent action is required.
What To Do When Collections Get Wet
The guidelines focus on what to do when things get wet, as water exposure is arguably the most common problem. Response describes the immediate (within 48 hours) actions taken to stabilize affected collections. The objective is to prevent further damage and, in situations with water, to prevent mold growth. Published by the Library of Congress.
How to Fix a Water Damaged Photograph at Home
Blog post from the Image Restoration Center providing guidance on providing emergency care for water damaged photographs.

Storage Supplies

Long term storage of historical materials requires specialized containers to ensure they can be passed down to future generations. Archival quality storage, while ideal, can be expensive. However as long as your materials are held in a stable environment you are already doing enough to slow down the deterioration of your photographs and papers.

Below is a list of sites where you can purchase archival quality materials for storing your family's treasures.

Your Story by Gaylord Archival
Since 1896, Gaylord products have been trusted by cultural institutions to preserve and protect the stories in the public trust. Now we're making preservation personal with a curated collection of products—the same ones used by museums—and resources designed to make preservation easy for you.