It’s the end of Explore your Archive week, and the final theme is #EYAYourArchive. So, we’ll explore the challenges of preserving items and share some tips on how to ensure the longevity of your papers at home and make it easier for archivists if it ever becomes part of an archive.
To better preserve your home archive and to make life easier for future archivists, there are some key practices to consider.
Firstly, say goodbye to standard paperclips, as they can rust and damage items over time. Instead, opt for alternative brass paperclips or consider other methods of attachment. These paperclips were thankfully taken out of collections at the National Library of Wales and Cardiff University’s Archives and Special Collections before they could rust further.
Also steer clear of tape. It frequently causes damage and can be a challenge to carefully remove without causing further harm, as shown in this image of a conservator at Glamorgan Archives hard at work.
Next, label your items. Quite often archivists will find papers with little to no context for what the item is. This small act can make the archiving process smoother and more efficient. (If you really want to be kind to future archivists, leave a little gap at the top for them to write the archive number!)
In a similar vein ensure to write the date on items. These time stamps provide valuable context and historical reference for your collection.
Lots of the standard paper we use is slightly acidic so will slowly dissolve over time. Instead use high quality or acid free paper.
For physical objects include accompanying details. As you can see from these dolls’ hands from the Cardiff University’s Archives and Special Collections, without an accompanying description of some kind, how these items found their way into an archive (or even what the item is!), could remain a mystery.
Avoid folding up paper if you can avoid it, as paper gets older these folds can become brittle and crack.
A quick tip from marketing! Draw some funny pictures to go with your papers, they’re good to share on social media!
With these tips in mind, you can preserve your personal archive for generations to come and make the archivist’s (whether that is an archive or one of your descendants doing family history) job significantly easier.
If you’ve enjoyed this blog or found it useful, take a look at these links to learn more about preservation and conservation activities at the National Library of Wales: Preservation activities – National Library of Wales , Conservation activities – National Library of Wales
Alongside physical items, these days of course we also have our electronic archives to look after. You can learn more about the work ARCW has done to support Digital Preservation here: Digital Preservation – Archives Wales
