Written by guest blogger: Stacy Hawks – Dividing Ridge Genealogy Founder
As an educator, historian, and writer, I have come across many beautiful, wonderful, and memorable pieces of information over the years. However, none are as precious or as informative in understanding our family histories as photos, vital records, and newspaper articles. In this blog post, I hope to provide information and ways in which you can preserve these documents for future generations and offer resources that will assist you in this task.
When I was in high school, each student had to complete a senior project as part of their English course, and the project was a major part of our final grade. We had to select a topic that we would immerse ourselves in for a total of twenty or so hours during the course of that semester, write a paper about the topic, and then present our project before our teachers, fellow students, and families. It was a learning experience like no other, and although I am a nervous wreck in front of a crowd, the rush of doing the project and having a beautiful set of photos to share afterward was exciting.
It was during the course of my project titled Heritage Photography that I fell in love with two things. Preservation of stories and images. It was this research that also nourished a love of our local Blue Ridge Parkway system and the history behind it as well. While working on the project, I had a mentor, and although unofficially, she was the best kind. My maternal grandmother. She provided the history texts that would spur a decades-long obsession with appreciating where I was from and working to share that passion with other fellow historians locally and regionally.
One thing she pulled out was a scrapbook. It was white with various clippings on the front, but inside were local newspaper clippings from stories and events that had happened in our county as well as the world. Scrapbooking was something she enjoyed, and it was later that one of these clippings would become my first novel. The clipping had been taken from an old newspaper dated back to the year my parents were married, 1981. It was well preserved, not at all faded, and easy to read. I was fascinated by the story from that clipping and that a scrapbook could preserve something as delicate as a newspaper clipping in that way.
In college, studying history and secondary education, I learned ways to preserve documents and techniques for handling extremely old ones by asking questions or finding books and information about the topic. When it comes to newspaper clippings keeping them from light is important as it will help to slow any damage that may occur. Storing and displaying them in artificial lighting is often best.
So, if you have a particular newspaper clipping like I do that you love and wish to preserve but also want to showcase, framing it and placing it somewhere away from natural light is helpful. Mine are hung in my office on interior walls facing away from any sunlight. Another technique for preserving framed newspaper clippings is purchasing a UV-filtered glazed frame. While sometimes they can be a bit expensive, they are worth it to guard the information you wish to preserve.
An alternative to preserving newspaper clippings by hanging them in frames is still keeping them out of direct light to avoid fading but also out of dampness and to handle them with care. Carefully open any folded newspapers or clippings you have, and if you suspect you might damage one by opening it stop what you are doing. This is where those clear three-ring binder plastic sleeves come in handy. Newspaper articles may be placed into those in order to keep them from further damage or wear from being handled. While we have a tendency to want to repair torn articles with tape or glue, it is not recommended. The best way to store and preserve these is to place them in folders or decorative letter boxes that close.
We all have photos of family and friends that we would like to preserve and try to keep. I am from the generation of Kodak and still recall disposable cameras, Koda Chrome film, and taking cameras to our nearest Wal-Mart or drug store to get photos developed. Digital photography did not come about until the early 2000s.
Photos are similar in regard to light and handling. Time can fade an image just as much as it can fade words on a page. It’s also true that photos need to be kept away from damp areas or places that have terrible ventilation. Temperature is key, as is where you choose to store photos. A basement is not recommended, but a closet in a well-sealed box, a desk drawer, photo albums on your shelves, or something similar is ideal. Be careful not to store them near any sort of cooling or heating source, as this could warp them and damage them permanently.
When preparing photos for storage, be sure they are flat or on a flat surface like the photo album mats; in fact, I prefer photo albums as they keep the images separate and from being piled on top of one another, which can also cause damage. However, if you do not have albums be sure not to overfill any photo boxes or files, but if you still have room in a box and do not want them to slide out of place, consider using some non-acidic tissue. The upside to this is the tissue may be used for other things, not just photo preservation.
Living in this age of technology, we have many more avenues of preserving our documents and photos than our ancestors did. Whatever they passed down can now be organized and scanned digitally and stored on hard drives, thumb drives, or in a cloud. This can be done from home or by taking photos to a professional imaging specialist. They can advise you on the best settings for scanning, the best types of scanners, and programs that will help you sharpen faded or old images.
The same technique may also be used for documents and newspaper clippings. I have also scanned in the newspaper clippings my grandmother gave me and have kept them safely stored.
As I write this, I am also thinking about my High School English teacher and her advice to our class when it came time to write our research papers, “save, save, and re-save!” Never assume that your photos or documents that are scanned digitally are safe in one place. Save them in a few different locations or give copies to close family members to hold onto in case something happens. Technology is a wonderful tool for any researcher, but it is not without its flaws.
I am still impressed at how well-preserved many of my family members’ photos and documents are, and am truly thankful that they took the time and made an effort for them to be maintained for my generation. It is now my responsibility to ensure they are passed down along with their stories. To ensure your family history and heritage are preserved or if you have more questions regarding document preservation, visit the National Archive websites below.
Resources:
https://www.archives.gov/preservation
https://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives
https://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/handling.htmlhttps://www.archives.gov/preservation/family-archives/repairing