Caring For Your Personal Collections

Preservation Websites | Preservation Books | Selecting a Conservator

The following resources provide advice on preserving your personal collections of books, photographs, and recordings.

PRESERVATION WEBSITES

• Caring for Your Treasures

How to care for your family photographs, documents, textiles, art and more from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works.

• Family Treasures

Tips on storing, handling, and preserving personal collections from the Library of Congress Preservation Directorate.  Also, includes information on emergency preparedness and response as well as collections care.

• Caring for Your Family Archives

  Frequently asked questions about family archives answered by the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

• Disaster Resources for the Public

Resources to help save family treasures after a disaster from the Heritage Preservation Emergency National Task Force.

• Home Film Preservation Guide

Simple guidelines for preserving motion picture films with a focus on storage at home from the Association of Moving Image Archivists.

• Caring for ...

How to care for a variety of family treasures including baskets, globes, kayaks, and watches from the Canadian Conservation Institute.

• Your Old Books

A guide to frequently asked questions about rare books and rare book values published by the Rare Book and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries.

PRESERVATION BOOKS

• Landry, Gregory J., et al. The Winterthur Guide to Caring for Your Collection. 2000.

Covers a wide range of materials from books and photographs to ceramics and metals to textiles, furniture, and gilded frames. Nicely illustrated.

• Long, Jane S. and Richard W. Long, et al. Caring for Your Family Treasures. 2000.

Also covers a wide range of materials including film and videotape, clocks and watches, toys, musical instruments, and tips on making new scrapbooks or albums. Nicely illustrated.

• Williams, Don and Louisa Jaggar. Saving Stuff: How to Care for and Preserve Your Collectibles, Heirlooms, and Other Prized Possessions. 2005.

Takes a more irreverent approach and covers the widest range of materials (including how to preserve your child's macaroni artwork) with sections on the "Museum of You," "Saving Family Stuff," "Pop Culture," and "Preserving Really Valuable Stuff."

SELECTING A CONSERVATOR

• Guidelines for Selecting a Conservator

How to select a qualified conservator from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works.