Preserving Family Photographsby Susan L. Dunn Morua Now that most modern photographs are digital images, and film negatives are becoming less common, it is becoming increasingly important that we preserve our photographic prints for our descendents. They will not only preserve our memories, they will also tell our descendents who we were, how we lived, and what we liked to do. In addition, incidental details within our photographs will give provide future researchers with valuable information about our society and our culture. So if you want to extend the life of your collection into succeeding generations, here are a few tips that will help your photographs survive. Handling
Light
Temperature and Humidity Photographs are actually complex structures made of layers of paper and chemicals and as a result they are sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. Fluctuating levels of humidity and temperature promote the movement of moisture between the different layers, and this movement speeds up the natural rate of chemical deterioration. Also, high temperatures combined with high rates of humidity can cause microscopic The most important thing to remember is that photographs should be stored in a location where temperature and humidity levels remain constant so attics, roof spaces, and cellars should be avoided. Photographs should also not be stored near airing cupboards, radiators, hot water pipes, or sunny windows. In most homes, spare bedrooms, dining rooms, or studies work the best. Housekeeping
Storage Materials You will need to use materials and products that have been specifically designed for use with photographs, because these will slow the natural aging process. If you donâÂÂt use these materials and products, you may find that your photos, despite your careful handling and storage, are discolouring and deteriorating more quickly than you would like. Any materials and products you are considering buying for the storage of your photographs should
You are going to need separate storage for any Newer negatives can be stored in specially designed polyethylene or polyester sleeves, but older ones must be stored in paper sleeves, so to be safe, it may be best to use specially designed paper sleeves for all your negatives. You will need to remember to write, in pencil, a reference code on each negative envelope that will link your negatives to your photographs as well as to your notes.
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If prints are placed within the album on facing pages, then you can use tissue paper that has passed the PAT as interleaving between the pages.
You should not do this with all the pages, because this will make the album too thick, and may cause some pages to bend as well as possibly breaking the spine. The album can then be placed into a flat acid-free box.
If the album, however, contains self-adhesive pages, you will need to transfer these photographs into a new album, because these albums rely on sticky coatings as well as unknown plastics. But before doing this, you may want to photograph each page of the original album to record any captions as well as the original layout of the prints.
Susan Dunn Morua has a Master of Science in Library Science with a specialisation in Rare Books, Photographs, and Historical Documents. Susan is a Freelance Archivist as well as a Declutterer.
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More detailed information on this subject can be found here. Scrapbook.com is a website dedicated to the preservation and protection of photos, documents, and valuable papers worldwide. They help protect individuals’ and organizations’ most valuable documents for future historical purposes, legal archiving, and personal sentimental value.
Over the past months, they have built one of the most comprehensive pages on paper, photo, and document preservation on the internet. It has been compiled to help museum staff, librarians, historians, and individuals understand how papers deteriorate overtime and the specific mechanical and chemical techniques that can be used to preserve documents, photos, and their finishes. However, it not only covers how paper deteriorates, but also the composition of different papers and the specific techniques and materials needed to protect, preserve, and archive documents so they will last for future generations.