How to Preserve Documents Like a Well-Informed Amateur

Most everyone has some old papers laying around the house. In fact, our paper ephemera is often the best record of our history. That's a double-edged sword. On the one hand, paper documents (photos, newspaper clippings, letters, etc.) are not restricted to those of us with wealthy ancestors. On the other hand, items made of paper are the first to decay.


As much as I hate to admit it, nothing lasts forever. Though I plan to make a living trying to make things last as long past their shelf life as possible. Last summer, I was shocked to see the Declaration of Independence is nearly illegible. Two centuries of display takes its toll, and no amount of deacidification, temperature, and humidity control can change that.


On the bright side, it was written on goat skin. Skin is not supposed to last for centuries. How many of the guys who wrote the Declaration still have skin in such good shape? I rest my case.


Here are some tips for preserving your own documents. 

• The nemeses of documents are dirt, light, corrosive metals, acidity, and humidity.
• Always handle documents with hospital-clean hands.
• If working with letters still with their envelopes, always note the full name of the sender, date, and place before separating the two.
• If documents came to you in their original order, do not rearrange them.
• Assign each item an accession number (ID number).
• Keep a record of where each item came from and the date you acquired it.
• When in doubt, ASK AN EXPERT.
• Remove dirt and dust immediately. You can use wallpaper cleaner or a kneaded eraser, and a soft brush.
• Remove pins, staples, paper clips, etc. If you need to clip things together, use stainless steel staples or clips.
• Feel free to remove any enclosures (I've found newspaper clippings, pressed flowers, ribbons, etc.). I never throw an enclosure away. Sometimes they're the most interesting part.
• If a document is torn, use only WATER-SOLUBLE TAPE. Regular tape destroys documents.
• Unfold and flatten what you can. DO NOT DO THIS BY REVERSING THE FOLD.
• You can leave brittle papers in the refrigerator overnight and iron on low heat.
• When you store the documents, don't let them touch. One document with mold or some other problem can spread it to others. Instead, separate them with acid-free paper or plastic, etc. The
• Store documents away from sunlight and fluorescent lighting.
• Keep documents at room temperature (read: not your attic, basement, garage, or storage unit).
• Ideally, humidity should be at 50%, but don't worry about it too much.
• To preserve newspaper clippings, which decay very quickly, photocopy, scan, or transcribe the article on acid-free paper.
• Record the name of the paper, date, and page number.
• Store the clipping in an acid-free envelope.
• For photographs, take a scan or have a high-resolution copy made by a professional.
• If you have a daguerreotype (an image on glass or tin), do not unseal it. That will permanently tarnish the image.
• Record name, place, event, date, and photographer on the back in soft lead pencil.
• Don't store negatives in cardboard boxes or envelopes.
• If you use boxes, fill them up and store them vertically to prevent photos from curling.
• Never store slides anywhere humid, and make sure they get plenty of air. You can also pack slides with a packet of silica gel (like the ones in shoe boxes).
• For scrapbooks, use heavy, acid-free paper.
• Use a sturdy metal-ring binder.
• Use PERMANENT INK.
• Use water-soluble glue, or it will wrinkle.
• Use plastic paper clips, never staples.
• Don't crowd a sheet, and position items so they don't directly face items on the opposite page.
• Deacidification should not be done by a novice.
• Chemical solvents to remove stains are available, but be careful- they can also remove ink, alter color, burn skin, burn paper, and poison you.
• You can laminate documents, but be forewarned; once you laminate something, you cannot un-laminate it.
• To organize a collection, first, do some research on the subject.
• Accession numbers take a simple form. For example, my January 1806 Walker's Hibernian Magazine is numbered 11-02. The first two digits represent the year I bought it, the last number indicates it was the second document I bought that year.