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

Rare and Distinctive Collections

Classroom: Norlin N345

Reading Room: Norlin M350B

Image credit: Scrapbook page (1929), Dwight G. Lavender collection, University of Colorado Boulder Libraries' Archives

The photographer Ralph Hattersley once said, "We make photographs to understand what our lives mean to us." In our personal and family archives, photographs are often are best way to capture memories, elict feelings of the past, and make our histories come alive.

The sources below may help you to keep the photographic materials, slides, negatives, albums, and scrapbooks in good condition to share with future generations. For information on environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and pest prevention, see the "Papers" tab to the left.

As always, one of the most important steps to insuring your personal and family history lasts through the ages is to identify, date, and clearly label material as you create and use it, including the people, places, and events depicted.

Preservation and care


Handling	Handle photographs and negatives by the edges only Handle photographs and negatives with clean, dry hands or, preferably, with lint-free cotton or nitrile gloves Do not mend photographs or negatives with common household tapes or glues
Storage	Store loose photographs and negatives in acid-free, lignen-free paper envelopes or in polyethelene or polypropylene plastic sleeves. Do not use plastic sleeves made of PVC. Store photographs together according to size. Choose boxes that match the size of the photographs and pack boxes comfortably, to prevent photos from bending, curling, or shifting Store negatives and small photographs (5x7" or smaller) vertically, rather than stacked. Larger prints, in archival paper or plastic envelopes or folders, can be stored horizontally to prevent bending, with the smallest items on the top of the stack Store negatives separately from prints in case of fire or water damage. Consider cold storage (properly packed and frozen boxes) for older, deterioriating, or valuable negatives. See the resources below for cold storage instructions
Display	Protect displayed photographs from excessive light exposure: Create copies of valuable photographs for display, while maintaining originals in archival enclosures Rotate which photographs you display over time to limit the period of light exposure Avoid direct sunlight or use UV-filtering glass in picture frames
Photo Slides
Storage	Do not remove 35mm photographs from their cardboard or plastic slide mounts If possible, store photo slides vertically in their carousels or boxes to prevent damage from light or dust If stored in plastic sleeves, use polyester, polyethylene, or polypropylene, not PVC
Cleaning	Clean slides with a gentle puff of air or lightly with a very soft brush
Albums and scrapbooks
Mounting	Mount photographs with photo corners, not with glues or tapes Use thick acid-free papers or non-PVC-plastic sleeves
Storage	Store fragile books horizontally in protective archival boxes, not vertically on a book shelf

Content adapted from "Saving Your Stuff," American Library Association; "Preserve Your Family Treasures," Minnesota Historical Society; and "Caring for Your Treasures: Photographs," American Institute for Conservation

Suggested resources

Types of Photographs
This detailed guide from the Northest Document Conservation Center provides descriptions and examples of photograph types from the 19th and early 20th century, including daguerreotypes, cyanotypes, glass plate negatives, and many other formats you may discover in your ancestral materials.
Caring for Your Treasures: Photographs
Brief guide from the American Institute for Conservation that includes tips for common issues like tears, dirt, and deteriorated negatives.
Storing Family Papers and Photographs
This simple guide from the US National Archives offers clean and easy tips for storing family photographs, including choosing containers, storing oversized images, and caring for photo albums or scrapbooks.
Storage Enclosures for Photographic Materials
This guide from the NEDCC offers much more detailed information on choosing appropriate paper and plastic envelopes and sleeves for preserving many types of photographs and negatives.
Cold Storage
This detailed presentaton by the US National Parks Service, intended for archives and library professionals, has detailed instructions on storing at-risk photographic materials for freezer storage. The basics of preparation and packaging can be replicated at home.
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.