Submitted by: Wendy Why is this item important to you?: So many photos of grands, greats and great great grandparents and family. I feel very fortunate to have something like this. Expert Advice: (Provided by Stephanie Call) The photographs in the scrapbook look to be in very good condition, but I understand the concern you have for the black paper of the scrapbook. I have a couple of different suggestions for you, and which one you choose really depends on how attached you are to having them in a scrapbook format. Regardless of what you choose, I suggest you digitize the pages of your scrapbook. 1) The first recommendation would be to disbind the scrapbook and sleeve each leaf in its own acid-free folder, keeping the pages in order. You can then lay the folders flat in an archival box. Keeping each page in the folder will also benefit any items that might be coming loose, as they will just come loose in a folder, and that is unlikely to cause further damage. If photographs are coming loose, you can also sleeve them in photo enclosures, which I talk a little bit about, below. I recommend Gaylord Archival or Hollinger Metal Edge for archival materials. The box and folders should be of similar size to the size of the scrapbook and the scrapbook pages. 2) The second recommendation is if you would rather the scrapbook stay in something akin to its original format. There is black support paper you can purchase (you will want to make sure the paper is marked “P.A.T” for Photographic Activity Test) or you can purchase a new, acid free scrapbook. Of course, this will depend greatly on how easy it might be for you to remove the photographs from the existing backing. You would just want to make sure to keep, in folders, any pages with notations. Kolo is a good source of high-quality, archival scrapbooks and albums; you can also purchase these through Hollinger Metal Edge or Gaylord Archival. Photo corners work well for placing photographs back on the page. Some general considerations for handling scrapbooks: Handling: When handling the scrapbook, make sure your hands are clean and you’re not wearing any lotions or hand sanitizer. Do not wear gloves, as gloves don’t give people enough grip with paper, and you risk damaging pages further. Make sure the area you showcase it in or on is clean. Reformatting: Limiting hands-on access to it is the best way to ensure this scrapbook is preserved for years to come. If you keep the scrapbook bound, you may want to consider digitizing the book using an overhead scanner (you can have this done professionally) to create digital surrogates of each page- which will also allow other family members to enjoy the scrapbook from afar! If professional digitization services are not feasible, you can take photographs of each page. If you disbind the book, you can digitize each page (carefully!) on a flatbed scanner. Storage: Always keep the scrapbook in an area with stable temperatures and humidity; away from light sources; and, always lie the pages or book flat. Photo Enclosures: You can place your photos in archival quality plastic sleeves made of polyester, propylene or polyethylene, or a paper enclosure. Any photograph enclosures you use to house your photos should pass the P.A.T. test. Envelopes for photographs should be acid-free and lignin-free. Paper enclosures protect from light and you can also write on them, which is a bonus! Your photo enclosures should be as close to the size of the photograph as possible.
