Preserving family heirlooms

Bookmark by ALA

Public libraries are occasionally confused with archives.  The first serves today's public, their needs and some wants.  An archive preserves artifacts of history with a specific topical, regional, or chronological focus.  You can be your family's archives.  April saw the American Library Association's Preservation Week, which collected a variety of programs (recorded for you to catch up on now or later) and resources to answer your questions on how best to ensure today's objects are available for future generations of your family.  These are some basic tips (check out the Preservation Week webpage for details).

Preserving Your Treasures

Quick Preservation Tips

Here are a variety of simple, practical actions to preserve your personal and family collections:

•          Handle with a clean, gentle touch

Protect your treasures from dust, dirt, oil, food, and other hazards by handling items carefully, with clean hands.

•          Store safely in stable conditions

Protect your treasures from light, harsh temperatures, and humidity.   Learn what storage options are right for your collections.

•          Foresee and avoid risks

Assess storage and display surroundings for potential problems like water, pests, mold, and breakage.  Relocate your treasures or take other measures (for example, put items in protective containers) to reduce risks.

•          Make a copy

Copy treasures like photographs, newspapers, and letters when possible and appropriate. Store the original safely and use the copy.  Digital copies allow treasures to be easily shared, but remember digital items need preservation, too.

•          Ask a professional

Seek professional advice before trying at-home repairs or cleaning treasures yourself.

•          Visit a museum or archives

Consult an archivist for great resources and additional tips on how to preserve your treasures.

•          Pass it on!

Share your treasures with your family and community. Your heritage is their heritage

Thank you!

Ruidoso Public Library is here because of you--your support and your involvement.  

Image by Vernhart

Many of you are so kind when you visit, thanking us, the staff, for doing what we love to do.  Whether this means finding a book, an online resource, learning how to use something, or connecting with a service, we are happy to help.  Your commiserations after an awkward conversation and your compliments really help me (and all of us) keep smiling.

So I just wanted to share my gratitude with you as well!  Thank you!

Here's a video, created by the American Library Association, with authors advocating for libraries.  This may be 'preaching to the choir,' but it might come in as a handy resource to share with someone who isn't in touch with their library.  

Video by the American Library Association

See you at the library!