|
Practical Preservation: Simple Steps You Can Take to Protect Historical Documents,
Photographs, and Books Courtesy of the Jackson
County Historical Society Components that may make documents or artifacts
historical include, among other criteria:
age (although materials do not have to be old); content;
format or construction; creator (material need not
relate to a famous individual, event, or organization to be historically
significant). These elements in whole
or in part contribute to an item’s monetary, sentimental, and research value.
The types of historical materials that the Jackson County
Historical Society collects, preserves and makes available to the public for
research and education include, but are not limited to: letters, diaries,
scrapbooks, labeled photographs, certificates, maps, personal or professional
papers, speeches/lectures, legal documents, subject files, minutes/reports,
and brochures/flyers. Additionally,
we collect artifacts, art, and books that relate to the civic, business,
religious, political and social activities of individuals and organizations
having connections with Jackson County, Missouri. The Jackson County Historical Society’s preservation
program carefully employs steps that extend the life of historical materials
by slowing the process of deterioration.
These practical steps are easily adaptable for individual use for
protecting family papers, photographs, books, or artifacts. To get you started, the Jackson County Historical
Society offers some general guidelines, in plain English, in the booklet, Practical
Preservation: Simple Steps You Can Take to Protect Historical Documents,
Photographs and Books, (Independence, Mo.: Jackson County Historical
Society, 2001). The $2
booklet (plus $.75 shipping/handling), has sections discussing: Establishing a Cool, Dry, Constant Climate Constant temperature and humidity controls help slow
deterioration in historic materials.
Learn more about creating a kind environment for your important
belongings on page 3. Separating Apples and Oranges It’s a €œpicky€� subject, but like materials should be
kept together, and isolated from other types of materials. Turning Down the Lights You don’t need to turn them off, but illuminating
historic materials takes some common sense.
For more about lighting, turn to page 4. Displaying Historic Documents and Photographs There are ways to do it, and ways not to do it. The discussion on exhibiting your
historic materials begins on page 5. The Word is Acid-Free Archival storage and enclosure prolongs the life of
historic materials. Specifics about
what kind of basic supplies are necessary are discussed in the booklet Practical Preservation: Simple Steps
You Can Take to Protect Historical Documents, Photographs and Books. See page 6. What is Encapsulation? The subject of encapsulation can be captivating. Find out about this process of preserving
fragile, or rare historic materials on page 7. Avoiding Dirty, Sticky or Rusty Things A long list of bad elements are explored in the booklet Practical
Preservation: Simple Steps You Can Take to Protect Historical Documents,
Photographs and Books, produced by the Jackson County Historical Society. With each entry poses the problem, and
possible solutions on how to avoid dirty, sticky, or rusty elements when
working with historic materials. A Recipe for Unfolding a Rolled or Permanently
Creased Document We’ve all seen them.
Maybe you have some. Do they
break when you try to unfold them? STOP. Consult page 13 in the booklet Practical
Preservation: Simple Steps You Can Take to Protect Historical Documents,
Photographs and Books, produced by the Jackson County Historical Society,
on how you may choose to proceed. Handling, Labeling With Care For some practical advice on how to handle €¦ and label €¦
historic materials, peel back to page 14. What About Books and Bookshelves? Solid, non-fiction advice on how to preserve your
favorite books, and how to store and retrieve them from the shelves are found
on page 15. Donating Your Historical Materials Discover
the many benefits of donating your historical materials. Page 16 of the booklet, Practical
Preservation: Simple Steps You Can Take to Protect Historical Documents,
Photographs and Books, produced by the Jackson County Historical Society,
may help you make the right choice. |
||
|
|
|
|