Research Guides: Collecting and Managing Your Personal and Family Records: Objects

From graduation hats to wedding dresses, baby blankets to baby teeth, baseball gloves to bowling trophies– some of our strongest connections to the past come from using and handling tools, furniture, and diverse keepsakes from our ancestors and younger selves.

See the resources below for detailed guides from museum and conservation professionals on storing and preserving the diverse objects.

Suggested resources

Caring for Your Treasures
The American Institute for Conservation offers these free-to-download guides to caring for your family heritage items, from books and photographs to furniture, jewelry and kitchenware, paintings, textiles, and fabrics.
Taking Care
Detailed information from the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute, with guides to storing, preserving, and repairing furniture and wooden objects, antiques and metal objects, paintings, textiles, and a variety of diverse paper-based materials.
Find a Conservator
Though much collections care is possible for you to do at home, this directory from the American Institute for Conservation can help you find a professional conservator in your area with expertise in repairing books and paper, media, photographs, antiques, textiles, and wooden objects.
Selected Vendors of Preservation Supplies
Though properly storing records and choosing appropriate environmental conditions can be done at home with little cost, the Smithsonian Institution Archives recommends this list of vendors for buying archival-quality folders, envelopes, boxes, and other supplies.

Suggested books

Saving Stuff by Don Williams; Louisa Jaggar
ISBN: 9780743264167
Publication Date: 2005-06-02
From the Senior Curator of the Smithsonian Institution, this book offers advice on preservation of a wide variety of personal collections, including papers and photographs, furniture and artwork, medals, sports memorabilia, clothing -- even baby teeth!

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Latest updates and information about collections, services, loan periods and returns.

Special Collections and Archives

Call 303-492-6144

sca@colorado.edu

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Collecting and Managing Your Personal and Family Records

Suggested resources

Suggested books

COVID-19 Information for Library Services

Special Collections and Archives

Image credit: George W. Nace papers, University of Colorado Boulder Libraries' Archives