GRPL- Preserving Family Memories

Preserving Family Memories Research Guide

Preserving Paper | Preserving Photographs | Preserving VCR Tape |Memory Books

Reprinted from the Newsletter of the Clarke Historical Library. For additional information, please feel free to contact the Grand Rapids Public Library's Local History Department.

Letters, Diaries, Books, And Other Paper Items[top]

The best way to minimize damage to your family records is to store your papers properly away from four hazards that measurably shorten paper's life span.

Heat speeds chemical reactions and causes paper to decay quickly. The rate of change is dramatic, doubling with every ten degree (Fahrenheit) increase in temperature.
Humidity can also destroy paper. Humidity does its harm in two ways. Humidity levels above seventy percent promote mold growth. Rapid changes in humidity can also damage paper. Wide variations in humidity cause paper to "cycle," expanding and contracting as water is drawn out of and goes back into the paper fibers. Bright light can also injure records. Ultra-violet radiation can speed chemical reactions that harm paper.
Careless handling is probably the most frequent cause of harm to paper. Perhaps in the same category as careless handling is damage done to paper items through well-intentioned buy ultimately flawed "repairs."

Over the years, professional conservators have developed an array of tools and techniques that can be used to clean, restore and mend documents and books. Successfully using these procedures, however, frequently requires considerable skill, the use of toxic chemicals, and some good luck. In most cases, restoration should be done only by a professional conservator.

The best advice to most do-it-yourself restorers is STOP! In the long run, most "home repairs" can cause more damage than they fix. Perhaps the most destructive "home remedy" is the use of self-adhesive tape. Self-adhesive tape should never be used to repair torn or ripped paper, or to refasten torn covers to a book. Most tape sticks for only five to ten years, then begins to fall off, leaving a sticky mess behind.

A second home remedy to avoid is lamination. Lamination does not lengthen the natural life of paper, and its sticky plastic is virtually impossible to remove. Lamination should not be confused with the professional practice of "encapsulation." Encapsulated documents are placed between two sheets of inert plastic. However the "sandwich" that is created is sealed only around the edges.

Paper Care–A Checklist [top]

Always store paper in a cool, dry place.
Always store paper away from bright light.
If you choose to frame and display a paper item, always use glass which filters out UV radiation in front of the document.
Store papers opened, rather than folded and flat.
Never put pressure tape on paper.

Photographs[top]

The same factors that affect paper (heat, humidity, light, and mishandling) are also the enemies of photographs. Photographs should be stored in an extremely cool environment. Color filming last longest at a temperature of about forty degrees Fahrenheit. However, few people are willing to go through the expense and trouble of purchasing a refrigerator solely to store their film (and storing treasured family photos near last night's left-over lasagna and a half-finished can of soda is not a good idea.)

More practical suggestions include:

Store photographs in the coolest place in a home that is not subject to high or rapid changes in humidity. Avoid the basement or the attic of most homes.
Always handle photographic prints, particularly photographic negative, by the edges. Even better, wear light gloves made of a lint-free material while handling photographic images.
Do not expose photographic prints or negatives to bright light. Exposure to bright light, particularly ultra-violet light, will dramatically shorten the time period before color pictures begin to fade.
Use high quality color negative film and paper to take and print color photographs. Henry Wilhelm, in The Permanence and Care of Color Photographs (1992), used independent tests for long-term durability to evaluate film types. For most amateur photographers, he recommends the use of Fujicolor Super G 200, Konica Color Super SR 200, 3M ScotchColor 200 Film, and Polaroid OneFilm Color Print Film (ISO 200) in the medium speed range (ISO 160-200).

Wilhelm's more surprising finding was that there was great variability in the fading quality of the paper upon which photos were printed. Fujicolor Super FA Type E and Fujicolor SFA3 papers could be exposed for fifty years without color fade. By way of comparison, Kodak's most popular papers begin to fade after slightly more than ten years. When interviewing professional photographers who will take family photos at weddings or for studio shots, it is wise to inquire about the kind of paper upon which they will print the photos and suggest that you would like them to use a long-lived paper for the prints.

Photographs–A Checklist[top]

Store photographs in a cool place that is not subject to high humidity.
Store photographs away from bright light. If you choose to display family photographs, use UV filtering glass.
Always handle photographs by the edges. Better yet, wear gloves when handling photographic items.
When employing a professional photographer ask the he or she print photos on long-lived paper.
Select film with longevity in mind.
Treat color photographs as a temporary medium and assume you have to have them copied.

VCR Tape">[top]

There is no long-term strategy for preserving VCR tape. It is reasonable to expect that most VCR tape, for one reason or another, will be unplayable after approximately a decade. It is possible to take steps that will keep the tape and the images preserved on the tape in good condition, thus allowing for a higher quality copy of the tape to eventually be made.

Practical suggestions for maintaining VCR tape in good condition include:

Buy name brand VCR tape. The chemicals used, quality control practices, and other procedures vary dramatically among manufacturers, with "no-name" tape usually being made as cheaply as possible. Lacking good studies on the reliability of various brands of VCR tape, a consumer can at least fall back on the advice that you often get what you pay for, and buying the cheapest tape available is asking for preservation trouble.
Make a "preservation" copy of the VCR tape as soon as it is shot. This can be done at home by mating two VCR's, or it can be done at many shops which do VCR repairs. Check the preservation copy once a year, but otherwise never play it. This "pristine" copy will serve you well when the time comes to copy the tape onto a new tape.
VCR tape should be viewed and rewound annually. Annual viewing makes it possible to detect problems before they lead to the catastrophic failure of the tape. Annual rewinding helps avoid a number of problems that can occur as the tightly wound VCR tape rests up against itself.
Always use a clean, well-functioning VCR player to play the tape. Even microscopic particles of dirt can cause irreparable damage to the tape as it races past the VCR head. Professional cleaning of a VCR machine, including demagnetization of the head, is always a good idea before the family tapes are pulled out for their annual screening. It is particularly important to make sure the VCR has recently been serviced before playing the preservation copies of your tapes.
Assume VCR tape will have to copied. Even if kept under ideal conditions, the medium of tape is very fragile and subject to a variety of fatal harms. Although most studies have been done on audio rather than on VCR tape, the studies suggest that you should plan on copying tapes at least once every ten years.

VCR Tape–A Checklist[top]

Buy brand name tapes.
Make "preservation" copies of family tapes that will be used for subsequent copying.
View and rewind VCR tapes annually in order to find image degradation before significant tape failure occurs.
Play family tapes (particularly preservation copies) through a recently cleaned and adjusted VCR machine.
Assume VCR tape is a temporary medium and plan on regularly copying the tape.

Memory Books[top]

The soundest advice regarding memory books is to avoid them. Storing family history material separately is almost always better than trying to group the materials together in a single album. However, if you would like to create a memory book, some practical suggestions include:

Do not use scrapbooks or photo albums found in department or discount stores. These are almost always made of low quality materials that, in the long run, will cause serious injury to your family items. Rather, purchase photo albums and memory books from catalog suppliers that sell archival quality products. Archival quality memory books, however, are significantly more expensive. They will cost at least two to three times the price of those sold in discount stores.
Do not use glue. Although a few archival quality (non-acidic, non-staining) glues are sold, there is no consistent labeling that tells the consumer what mix of chemicals is contained in the glue. Rather, purchase chemically inert, mylar photo holders and insert items into these.
Segregate material by type. Do not place newspaper clippings, letters, and photos all in the same pocket. Rather, put each in its own pocket, using the plastic sheets to buffer one item from the next.
Store large scrapbooks flat rather than on end.
Use three-ring binders as an alternative to bound memory books. Three-ring binders allow adequate room for the materials placed in the memory book. Binders neither crush the material nor to they have bindings that can be stressed and broken. Many archival catalogs sell three-ring binders that have been made to appear quite elegant.
Label items. Among the most frustrating experience for a family historian is to come upon great-aunt Lydia's photo album, only to discover that none of the pictures are labeled. Great Aunt Lydia, of course, died a few years ago, and today no one knows whose faces stare back from the album. Always take the time to explain in writing the items in a memory book. Note who is in the pictures, as well as when and where the photos were taken.

Memory Books–A Checklist[top]

Avoid scrapbooks or photo albums sold at most retail outlets.
Purchase scrapbooks or photo albums from archival supply catalogs.
Do not use glue or pressure-sensitive tape in your scrapbook.
Mylar envelopes usually are the best way to store scrapbook items.
Segregate material by type.
Label material. For photographs, include the full names of the individuals and the date and place the photo was taken.
Store memory books flat rather than on edge. Three-ring binders are a useful substitute for bound memory books.

Page last updated: 09/29/08