How-to Preserve Resources

How-to Online Resources

The Archival Advisor
Guide for photo collectors, genealogists, scrapbookers, from the Image Permanence Institute, a university-based, nonprofit research laboratory devoted to scientific research in the preservation of visual and recorded information. More resources on this website:

Caring for Your Family Archives
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is the nation's record keeper. It provides answers to common questions from preservation and archives professionals -- on such topics as preserving family papers, mounting things safely in albums, attaching photos to album pages, removing photos from old albums, captioning photos, framing and displaying photos, converting home movies to video tape (good for viewing but not for preservation), getting documents repaired, digitizing photo collections.

Caring for Your Treasures
Tips provided by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), a national membership organization of conservation professionals. Tips are provided by category, such as photos, home videotape, documents and works of art on paper, metal objects. They also provide an informative FAQ section.

A Consumer Guide to Materials for Preservation Framing and the Display of Photographic Images(  pdf)
The goal of this guide is to help you understand why photos on display become damaged and how thoughtful framing and display practices can help keep your pictures safe. Image Permanence Institute.

Digital Preservation
National Digital Information Infrastructure & Preservation Program: A Collaborative Iniative of the Library Of Congress

Family Archives
Tips for preserving family treasures with processes and materials used by the National Archives and Smithsonian Institution.

Family Treasures
Your family heritage and personal collections are precious to you and to future generations and the Library of Congress Preservation Directorate wants to help you preserve these mementos in the best way possible. Refer also to the Resources section.

Graphics Atlas Tutorials
University-based laboratory devoted to preservation research. See tutorials on process groups, imaging techniques, identification. The Identification section of the Graphics Atlas was designed to enable the online viewer to familiarize themselves with the defining characteristics of a multitude of print processes and to teach one how to identify the prints in their own collection.

Film Forever: Home Film Preservation Guide
The objective of this web site is to provide simple guidelines for preserving motion picture film materials outside of specialized archives, with a focus on storage at home. Film Forever

NARA Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Archival Materials for Electronic Access: Creation of Production Master Files - Raster Images
These guidelines provide technical benchmarks for the creation of "production master" raster image (pixel-based) files.

Notes on Photographs (George Eastman House)
Tools for communication among students, historians, collectors, curators, conservators, archivists, practitioners, and the interested public.

Preserving Memories: Caring for Your Heritage
Old letters, photographs, scrapbooks, the family bible, and many other things help us to recall our past and the history of our family and communities. All of these things, however, are subject to decay and eventual destruction if they are not cared for properly. The information found at the Clarke Historical Library website is designed to help individuals better care for the things that preserve their memories.

Wilhelm Imaging Research articles
Articles about image archiving presented at IS&T; conferences and published in IS&T; proceedings books.

Preserving Photographs & Documents
FamilySearch wiki provides suggestions on how and where old documents and photos should be stored.

How-to Books

Caring for Your Family Treasures: Heritage Preservation by Jane Long and Richard Long
This book covers the care and handling of precious family heirlooms such as old silver, wedding gowns, scrapbooks, photos, books, and dolls.

Preserving Your Family Photographs: How to Organize, Present, and Restore Your Precious Family Images by Maureen A. Taylor
Preserving Your Family Photographs shows how to organize and store photographs so future generations can enjoy them. Watch Maureen solve cases on Photo Detective.

Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photograph by Maureen A. Taylor
In this visually stunning book of historic family photographs, renowned family history researcher and photography expert Maureen A. Taylor shows you how to cherish old photographs and what clues they can provide to your ancestors' lives.

Saving Stuff: How to Care for and Preserve Your Collectibles, Heirlooms, and Other Prized Possessions by Don Williams and Louisa Jaggar
The most comprehensive book on preserving every type of collectible -- from the sentimental to the valuable -- from the Smithsonian's Senior Conservator. Saving Stuff explains how you can use the techniques of museum professionals to keep your prized possessions in mint condition.

Keeping Your Past: A Basic Guide to Preserving Your Family Papers and Photographs
From Kansas City Area Archivists, a handy illustrated 22-page guide. Revised by KCAA�s Publications Committee, the guide serves as an introduction to the basic "do's and don'ts" of preserving family documents and contains useful guidelines for preserving both papers and photographs.

Recommended Reading and Book Reviews
Image Permanence Institute is a university-based, nonprofit research laboratory devoted to scientific research in the preservation of visual and other forms of recorded information. IPI is based on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, NY.

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