Preserve Your Family Treasures

Hints from the Conservators and Curators

Learn from our Conservators and Curators how to preserve your family treasures and stories for future generations.

Oral Histories | Letters & Paper | Organizing Family Papers | Photographs | Metals | Textiles | Ask The Conservator | Other Resources | Contact Us

ORAL HISTORIES

Oral history is an exciting tool for collecting and preserving history. It allows people to tell their stories as they talk, prompted by questions from an interviewer. Anyone can create good oral history if they understand a few basic principles and apply them as they go.

Oral history is a conversation, with the narrator doing the lion's share of the talking. The interviewer needs to prepare questions that will help each narrator tell his or her story.

Helpful Resources

LETTERS & PAPER

Display

  • Display copies of important documents instead of the originals
    • If originals are displayed, keep light exposure to a minimum:
    • Display a document for a while and then store it so that no single item is exposed to light for long periods of time.
    • Turn off the lights when no one is in a room. Use lower-wattage bulbs.
    • Place on walls that get the least amount of sun.
  • Close draperies and blinds when out of the room for extended periods of time or when not at home.
  • Use ultra-violet filtering glass or acrylic for framed paper items. Use an acid-free mat or a spacer so the document does not touch the glass.

Storage

  • Store important documents in a cool, dry place where there is minimal fluctuation in temperature and humidity. Generally avoid attics and basements.
  • Letters and other documents are best stored unfolded and flat. Items too large to store flat are better stored rolled than folded.
  • Use acid-free sleeves, envelopes, storage boxes, or albums. Polyester or polypropylene sleeves and pages are also acceptable.
  • Never put an adhesive on a document or paper that you wish to keep permanently. Use photo corners, or polyester mounting strips or sleeves to mount items in albums.
  • Remove paper clips and rubber bands, both of which can cause permanent damage to paper.
  • Keep highly acidic paper such as newspapers and clippings from touching other paper items.
  • If newspaper clippings are being kept for the content as distinct from keeping the original paper as an artifact, photocopy onto acid-free paper, which will last much longer than the original.
  • Handle your important paper items by their edges and with clean hands to avoid soiling the surface.

ORGANIZING FAMILY PAPERS

Gather them together

Bring together those items that you want to keep permanently. Keep them together in a box or a file, and clearly label them as family papers and mementoes.

Identify them

  • Remember that this information is what will make the materials meaningful to younger family members and future generations.
  • Fully identify writers and recipients of letters. Either write this information (inpencil) on each letter, or write a separate note to accompany a group of letters.
  • Write onto the back of each photograph (in soft lead pencil) as much information as is known about it - who; where; date; event or other circumstance.
  • Medals and other memorabilia: write a note identifying the recipient, occasion, and date, and keep it with the object.
  • Write down other relevant information about the persons or events, particularly birth and death dates, parents' and other family names, civilian or military service units or employment, dates and places of service, memorable experiences.

Organize them

  • The goal is to keep them from becoming scattered or misidentified in the future and to help others follow what was happening at the time.
  • There are many options, depending on the number and types of documents. They may include: keep all of each person's letters and other papers together; keep a single chronological run of all materials; keep one group of only letters, and another group of other materials; keep separate groups of each type of material.
  • If photos or other items were received with a letter, keep them with that letter.

Put them in protective enclosures

  • The goals: protect them from wear and tear, from light and dust, from becoming scattered or lost, and from losing their identity.
  • Use good-quality boxes, file folders, and other supplies. Archival quality (acid-free) is ideal but not essential.
  • Unfold folded items; remove letters from envelopes; place them in file folders.
  • Remove pins, brads, and metal paper clips.
  • Label each folder or other enclosure with an identification of its contents.
  • Use separate folders or boxes for diaries and other volumes, or medals and other artifacts; do not put them in a folder together with letters or photographs.
  • For some items - such as medals and other artifacts, groups of related photographs or postcards, and books in poor condition - consider the use of specialty enclosures that are available from archival suppliers.

Store them safely

  • The entire group of materials should have its own "home," whether in a box or a file drawer.
  • Avoid extremes of temperature and humidity; keep them clean; protect them from mold and insects.

Avoid the use of:

  • Pressure-sensitive ("Scotch") tape.
  • Rubber cement.
  • Metal paper clips.
  • Acetate sleeves from office supply stores.
  • Self-adhesive album or scrapbook pages.
  • Manila envelopes.

Sharing documents with other family members

  • Do not pass the originals around; digital copies or print copies to distribute to other family members.
  • If you wish to compile a scrapbook, use copies, not the original documents.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Display

Display copies of important photographs instead of the originals

IF ORIGINALS ARE DISPLAYED, KEEP LIGHT EXPOSURE TO A MINIMUM:

  • Display photographs for a while and then store them so that none are exposed to light for long periods of time.
  • Turn off the lights when no one is in the room. Use lower-wattage bulbs.
  • Place on walls that get the least amount of sun.
  • Close draperies and blinds when out of the room for extended periods of time or when not at home.
  • Use ultra-violet filtering glass or acrylic for framed photographs. Use an acid-free mat or a spacer so the front of the photographs does not touch the glass.

RESOURCES

Storage

  • Store photographs and important documents in a cool, dry place where there is minimal fluctuation in temperature and humidity. Avoid attics and basements.
  • Store individual photographs and slides in polyester or polypropylene pages or sleeves. Acid-free sleeves or envelopes, which have passed a standardized "photographic activity test" are another option for photographs.
  • When purchasing albums or storage boxes, look for those that are acid-free and have passed a "photographic activity test."
  • Never put an adhesive on your photographs. Use photo corners, polyester mounting strips, or sleeves to mount photographs in albums.
  • Store negatives in a separate location from albums and prints. In the event of a disaster, you will have two chances for your photographs to survive.
  • Use a soft pencil to label photographs or paper that might come into contact with photographs.
  • Handle your photographs and negatives by their edges and with clean hands to avoid soiling the surface.

METALS

Silver

  • Use your silver. Active use and gentle cleansing prevent the build-up of tarnish.
  • Wash silver with mild soap and warm water. Dry completely with a soft cloth. Be careful not to leave moisture inside hollow items.
  • When necessary, gently polish by using a mild silver polish, such as 3MT Tarnish Shield®, Goddard products, or Hagarty products. Follow polishing by rinsing away any remaining polish with a mild soap and warm water.
  • Silver polishing cloths, such as Birks Silver Polishing Cloth, are a gentle alternative for polishing.
  • When tarnish first forms on silver, it may be yellow or gold colored. At this stage, it is easily removed without polish. Simply wipe with a clean, soft cloth.
  • Handle silver with clean hands, a clean, soft cloth, or cotton gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints.
  • Keep silver away from corrosive materials like acidic food, salt, newspaper, wool, or rubber.
  • Store silver items in soft cloth bags or wrapped in a soft cloth such as cotton flannel. Pacific Silvercloth® is a soft, specially treated fabric that greatly retards silver from tarnishing Usually sold by the yard, it is used to line drawers or boxes and to make bags.
  • Another product, 3MT Silver Protector Strips®, will retard or even prevent tarnish when placed in a drawer, box, or bag with silver items.

Other Metals

  • When polishing is necessary, use the least abrasive polish that will do the job.
  • Learn to distinguish active from inactive corrosion. Bronze, brass, copper, and metal may have a natural patina that has built up over many years. Often this protects metal from damaging, active corrosion. Wipe these carefully with a damp cloth then wipe dry.
  • Gold does not tarnish, so it only requires dusting or occasional wiping with a damp cloth.
  • Bronze, brass, and copper may have an applied patina or finish including gold plate, silver gilt, or a gold varnish. Polishing may damage or destroy them, so check with an expert if you are not sure about your item.
  • Pewter is metallic grey in color and can be mistaken for silver. The natural patina that forms on pewter is not a problem and should be preserved, so dust or occasionally wipe with a damp cloth and dry thoroughly.

Coins

  • In general, refrain from cleaning coins. To remove dirt, wash in warm water with a mild soap and a soft brush. Rinse in distilled water and then soak in alcohol.
  • Handle valuable coins only when necessary. Use clean cotton gloves.
  • Store valuable coins in archival materials, such as polyester sleeves, polyethylene bags, or polyester or acrylic boxes.

TEXTILES

Checklist for Preserving Textiles and Clothing

ASK THE CONSERVATOR

How do I preserve my letters and other paper documents?

  • There are two major components to preservation: organization and storage.
  • First, gather them together, identify what each item is, then organize in a way that will be meaningful to the people who will use them
  • Storage consists of placing items or groups into appropriate acid-free housings — envelopes, folders, boxes, and then keeping them in a good storage environment.
  • A Checklist for Preserving Family Papers has many good tips on storing and displaying paper heirlooms

How do I save a newspaper clipping?

  • If newspaper clippings are being kept for the content as distinct from keeping the original paper as an artifact, photocopy onto acid-free paper, which will last much longer than the original.
  • If the original clipping is being kept as an artifact, store in an acid-free envelope, folder or sleeve.
  • For more information on preserving newspaper clippings, see: Preserving Newspapers: When and How To (pdf) Minnesota History Interpreter Tech Talk, March 1997.

I have boxes of family photographs. Where do I start? How do I preserve them?

  • Start by gathering all the material together. Identify each item, writing as much information as is known.
  • Organize them in a way that is meaningful to the people who will use them; two common ways are chronologically and alphabetically.
  • The next step is to put the photographs or groups of photographs into acid-free albums, envelopes, folders, and boxes. Keep the material in a good environment, which usually means not the attic or basement.
  • A Checklist for Preserving Family Photographs has many good tips on storing and displaying heirloom family photographs (see above in "Photographs").

I have a leather jacket that is getting dry. What can I put on it?

  • The best thing to put on the leather is nothing. Research has shown that leather dressings are rarely helpful and in some cases actually cause damage.
  • For more detail: Leather Dressing: To Dress or Not to Dress (pdf). National Park Service. Conserve-O-Gram: 9/1.

OTHER RESOURCES

Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute: Taking Care

National Archives: How to Preserve Family Archives (papers and photographs)

Library of Congress: Personal Archiving - Preserving Your Digital Memories

American Institute for Conservation: Caring For Your Treasures

Center for Home Movies: Preservation

Northeast Document Conservation Center: Caring for Private and Family Collections (PDF)

Northeast Document Conservation Center: What’s Behind Your Frame? (PDF)

Scan for Keeps is a program developed by the Minnesota Digital Library for the purpose of loaning digitization kits for scanning events and other community projects. LOANS ARE TO ORGANIZATIONS ONLY.

CONTACT US

Do you have a question? Ask the Conservator! 
Email Megan Narvey, Outreach Conservator 
651-259-3468

This information is being distributed by the Conservation Outreach Program of the Minnesota Historical Society (MHS) as a public service. The distribution of this handout does not constitute a recommendation by MHS of any specific vendor or their products, nor will MHS assume liability for products supplied by a vendor. Each application must be evaluated individually and materials selected that best suit the condition of the object and how it is to be used. If you have questions about a particular application, treatment, or service, please contact the MHS Conservation Outreach program at conservationhelp@mnhs.org.