How To Preserve Your Documents

When you start researching your family history, the most important thing you need is information. On the one hand, living relatives can, of course, provide you with that; on the other hand, you should look for old documents. Almost everyone has a pile of them at home. Said documents might be your own and you are keeping them because you are going to need them at some point in the future yourself. They might as well have been handed down to you from your ancestors. Perhaps you stumble upon them by accident when cleaning your attic.

How can you properly preserve these documents which will be useful one day for your family research? Here is a checklist that can help you keep your documents in good condition.

Protect Your Documents from Dirt

It is very important to keep your documents away from anything that could worsen their condition. Before you start, you need a pair of linen gloves, a dusting brush, and a sharp knife. Do not have beverages or food near the documents while cleaning them!

 

Sort the Wheat from the Chaff

For lack of space you may not be able to keep all of your documents for posternity or for your family research. That is why you should sort the wheat from the chaff, i.e. seperate more important documents from the ones which are not. You may have, for instance, more than just one copy of the same document. And typically, you will only need one in your archive.

Once you have made your selection, you can start with the actual work.

Examine Your Documents

Check your documents carefully for traces of mold, rust (from staples or paper clips), water spots or paper decay from improper folding. Sort out all documents that might need further care or treatment. That may be, for instance, all documents that have metal staples or paper clips.

Prepare and Repair

Carefully dust off your documents with a dusting brush. Afterwards, remove all staples and paper clips. If the documents show rust stains, remove them as far as possible with a special brush for rust. It might be necessary to „repair“ some of your documents. You can do smaller repairs yourself by using special glue that is based on fish glue and does not affect the paper. The best thing, however, is it to give damaged documents to professional archivists. Experienced archivists can even repair larger damages. 

Archiving

If you want to store your documents using plastic sheet protectors, make sure that they do not contain any kind of softeners which can affect the paper. If you choose paper envelopes for that purpose, make sure they are acid-free.

 

If you follow these simple rules, you are well prepared for the day when you begin your family research. Your documents will be ready and in good shape.

 

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