Preserving Family Papers Philip Montgomery Archivist Woodson Research Center 2009

What are family papers? Family papers can include a wide variety of materials:  Manuscripts  Clippings  Correspondence  Photographs and audio-visual materials  Scrapbooks  Diaries  3-dimensional artifacts  Digital items

Examples of family papers  official documents: passports, birth, marriage and death certificates  correspondence: letters, postcards, , telegrams  diaries  scrapbooks  photographs, movie film, video, audio recordings  books: cookbooks, family histories, religious and spiritual texts  artifacts: art objects, clothing, military material, occupational and household items, daily-living material, and furniture  digital materials: laptops, floppies, cell phones

Official Documents: A.C. Hutcheson family passport, From the Hutcheson and Allied Families Papers, , MS 496, Box 38 folder 4, at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University

Correspondence: Letter from Gus S. Wortham asking Mr. and Mrs. A.P. Finley for permission for Lyndall Finley's hand in marriage, 5 pages written on Rice Hotel stationery. From the Hutcheson and Allied Families Papers, , MS 496, Box 2 folder 2, item 1, at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Diaries: Mildred Hutcheson’s account of voyage alone from [Shanghai to Marseille], From the Hutcheson and Allied Families Papers, , MS 496, Box 27, folder 6 at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Scrapbooks: The scrapbook of Doris Sue Moellenberndt, class of 1948, from her student years at Rice. Alumni Scrapbooks, Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Audio-Visual Materials: Lyndall Finley (later Wortham), portrait as a nine year old girl, with a bouquet of flowers, From the Gus S. Wortham family and business records, MS 514, Box 15 folder 7 item 3, at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Books: “Philosophia naturalis principia mathematica” 1687 by Sir Issac Newton. Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

ARTIFACTS: Photograph of WWI military memorabilia belonging to Gus S. Wortham. Originals are from the Gus S. Wortham family and business records, MS 514, Box 16 folder 5 item 1, at the Woodson Research Center, Fondren Library, Rice University.

Digital: Ken Kennedy laptop contents on external hard drive; “Bobby May, Athletics Director” DVD, and iPhone. Sources: Ken Kennedy academic records; Audio-visual materials, box 29; private device.

Run Away! Avoid these at all costs!  Clutter – only keep what is really valuable to you, or it will become unmanageable  Improper storage  Archival nightmares – a big pile of unidentified things, molding or crumbling. 

Just shove it in there “for now” – don’t let “for now” become “forever” in these dangerous places where items can be lost, forgotten or damaged!  basements  garages  attics  tool sheds  barns  non-climate controlled facilities

What’s that smell?  mold  insects  slumping and improper storage  chemically corrosive fasteners  acid and acid migration  fading, degradation caused by ultraviolet light A steady cool & dry & dark environment is your best bet to avoid these!

Problem and Solution  Temperature Ideal - 68 to 72 degrees for most materials Avoid FLUCTUATIONS  Relative humidity Ideal – 40 to 60 % RH for most materials Avoid FLUCTUATIONS

Problem and Solution  Light Light damage is cumulative Avoid direct sunlight and fluorescent lights  Biological agents like mold, insects Feast on cellulose (paper materials) and glue Avoid heat and humidity

Problem and Solution  Airborne pollutants and dust Airborne pollutants often combine with moisture in the air and create acids which damage archival materials. Dirt abrades the fibers in paper, weakening it.  People Improper storage and handling. Not identifying items, ignoring fragile digital media

Proper Storage Tips  Store in dark, cool and dry area  Isolate acidic items (old newspapers)  Use appropriate archival containers  Avoid sunlight and UV light  Watch for bugs and mold  Use Mylar or other chemically inert plastics

Scrapbooks  Keep their original order if possible  Identify materials removed from scrapbooks with date, source, names, and places. Use only pencil.  Remove, any materials in magnetic / sticky photo albums, but do no harm.  Consider taking photos of the scrapbook as it is, for back-up.

Photos  Do not take apart any ‘cased photographs’ (daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, and tintypes).  Do not flatten tin-types or attempt to clean with solvents.  Avoid touching images with fingers. Hold the edges or use white gloves.

Photos continued  House photo prints in clear plastic sleeves constructed of uncoated polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene acid-free unbuffered paper envelopes, folders, and boxes for added support.  Avoid wood-pulp paper, glassine, or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for storage.

Photos continued  Store photo negatives separately from photo prints.  Label photo prints on the back using a soft lead pencil or put photo in paper sleeve with label.  Store color slides in plastic sleeves or lignin-free slide storage boxes.  Use ultra-violet filtering glass or Plexiglas on framed prints.

Audio recordings  Store all LPs, discs and tapes (cassette and open-reel) upright, on edge. Do not lay any recording flat.  Keep all tapes away from potential sources of demagnetization, such as loudspeakers, televisions, and heat sources.  Store tapes without rewinding.

Videotapes  Master Copies: Restrict use - only when duplicating copy is un-usable. Use duplicate for regular playback by your family and friends.  Storage: Always store cassettes and reels in the cases/boxes to protect them from dust and damage. Store upright on ends, not flat side of box. Temperatures as low as 50° F. and 30% relative humidity.  Winding: Do not rewind tapes after playing: playing at normal speed will distribute “the pack” for storage more evenly than rapidly rewinding or fast forwarding the tape. Rewind just before play.

Optical digital items  CD-ROMS have shown serious degradation in less than 10 years  DVD’s are believed to have shorter life-spans than CD-ROMS.  Make and carry out a plan to “migrate or refresh” your data to new CD- ROMS or other digital formats such as a spinning disk external hard drive.

General tips  Store objects of the same size together.  Do not overcrowd boxes and files.  Keep boxes off the floor.  Avoid using paperclips, glue, tape and rubber bands.  Copy newspaper clippings to acid free paper.

Supplies  Hollinger Metal Edge supplies  Gaylord archival supplies

Thank you!