An Attic Tragedy; Losing a Filmed History of Childhood

Unfortunately, there may be little to do. Most yearbooks are printed on glossy coated paper; the same paper is used in many art books. When coated paper gets wet and then begins to dry, the coating on facing pages sticks together. Once this occurs, it generally cannot be reversed. Freezing within about six hours, followed by vacuum freeze drying, can be successful in saving this type of material. The vacuum freeze drying must be carried out by a commercial service, however, and is relatively expensive.

In many cases, the pages are only partially stuck together. If this is the case, try to gently separate the pages with a teflon-coated folder or microspatula (available from conservation suppliers). There will be some loss in areas where the pages were stuck, but other parts of the information may be salvageable. Another strategy is to locate another copy of the yearbook. If none are available for purchase, borrow a copy and have a good-quality photocopy made. The photocopy could then be bound by a library binder. Some public libraries maintain collections of local school annuals.

It is also possible to bring the item to a conservator for an evaluation. A conservator may or may not be able to improve the object’s condition. If treatment is feasible, it will likely be time-consuming and expensive, so this option should usually be limited to items with high monetary or sentimental value.

How should I store my family photographs and papers?

Family photographs and papers should be protected from excessive heat, humidity and pollution. Attics and basements are the worst storage areas because of their extreme heat and humidities. It is better to store family collections on the upper shelf of a closet in the main part of the house where temperature and relative humidity tend to be relatively stable. Photographs and papers should be protected from light. Color photographs are especially vulnerable to deterioration. Exhibited items should not be placed in direct sun or in bright areas, and it is best not to exhibit any particular photograph or document permanently.

Important materials that will be kept over the long term should be stored in archival-quality enclosures. For papers, this usually means lignin-free buffered folders and boxes. For photographs, stable polyester enclosures are usually best. Conservation suppliers offer both polyester pages with pockets for photos and polyester and paper photo corners that can be used to mount photos on neutral pH album pages. Never use polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic pages or “magnetic” photo albums. These actually hold the photos in place with adhesive that is damaging.

Videotapes are also vulnerable. They have a limited life expectancy, and should be copied onto new tape every 10–15 years. See the technical leafletsNEDCC Offers Hints for Preserving Family Collections and Care of Photographs, for further tips.

In the late 1970s, NEDCC publicized a homemade solution for deacidifying news clippings, but the Center no longer recommends this solution. If a clipping is being retained solely for informational purposes, a simple preservation strategy is to photocopy the newspaper clipping onto archival-quality paper. Newsprint paper is extremely poor quality and will continue to deteriorate even if it is nonaqueously deacidified or washed. Some inks are soluble in commercially available deacidification sprays, and some colors may change when they are alkalized. As a result, any document to be treated should be tested before it is sprayed. Photographs should never be deacidified.

How long do laser-printed documents last?

The stability of a laser-printed document depends largely on the quality of paper used and the degree to which the toner adheres to the paper. Archival-quality paper should be used; in practice, this means a paper that meets the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard for permanent paper. Among other things, this standard requires the paper to have a pH of 7.5 or above and a calcium carbonate content of over 2% calcium carbonate is a buffering material that raises the pH of the paper and fights against future acid deterioration. Many papers on the market today meet the standard. A toner with a stable pigment such as carbon black should be used, and the printer should be regularly maintained and serviced.

I have some old leather books whose bindings are dried and cracked — should I put leather dressing on them?

The use of leather dressings (neatsfoot oil, lanolin, etc.) was widespread in libraries for many years, but the conservation community now recommends that it be avoided in most cases. Research and experience have shown that leather dressings can have some undesirable side effects. Damaging, disfiguring effects can include discoloration, staining, and stickiness of the leather, wicking of oil into adjoining materials including text blocks, and increased danger of mold growth on treated materials. Leather dressing can be appropriate for some objects, but it should be used very sparingly and advice should be sought from a conservator before using it.

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An Attic Tragedy; Losing a Filmed History of Childhood

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