Preserving Your Collection

Do you collect coaster- or park-related things? It's never too late to begin taking care of your treasures!

WHAT YOU SHOULD AVOID (the bad stuff)

• Light (ultraviolet, fluorescent)
• Moisture (humidity)
• Heat
• Airborne pollutants (ozone, car exhaust)
• Critters (bugs, rodents)
• Plastics made from polyvinylchloride (PVC) (smells like a new car)
• Stacking or overstuffing boxes or folders
• White glue, rubber cement, hot glue, self-stick tapes
• Pens (few exceptions)
• Metal clips, staples, and pins
• Rubber bands
• Dirt, body oils, perspiration
• Lamination
• Wood or acid-based paper storage containers
• Self-stick pages ("magnetic pages")

WHAT YOU SHOULD USE (the good stuff)

• Acid- and lignin-free storage containers, albums, and papers
• Cotton gloves to protect materials from oils and dirt
• Clean, dark, dry places for storage with good air circulation, temperature between 40° and 70° F, and relative humidity between 40 and 55% (avoid hot attics or damp basements)
• Plastic sleeves or sheets made from uncoated pure polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyester (e.g., Mylar D or Mellinex 516) (odorfree)
• Plastic and paper corners for photo mounting that pass the PAT (Photographic Activity Test)

Here are some guidelines to help you preserve all the great stuff you've saved . . .

NEWSPAPERS, LETTERS, POSTERS, AND POSTCARDS

• Store documents unfolded and unrolled, if possible (fold lines eventually will tear). Separate acidic documents with sheets of acid-free paper.
• Store documents in acid-free paper folders, polyethylene or polypropylene sleeves, or polyester sheets (see above). Store these in appropriately sized acid- and lignin-free boxes with covers to block the light.
• Remove staples, paper clips, rubber bands, and any metal fasteners.
• Don't use any kind of tape to repair torn or damaged documents.
• Limit handling of documents to avoid damaging them. Wear cotton gloves.
• Make a photocopy on acid-free paper of newspaper or magazine clippings when the information is what's important and not the clipping itself.
• Use a soft pencil (#2) to write the date on documents if it's not there already.

FILM, VIDEOTAPE, AND AUDIOTAPE

• Copy your home movies onto VHS or DVD format, and use these copies for viewing. Keep the originals.
• Store film and tapes in water-repellent plastic or metal containers.
• Store film and tapes upright, on edge, not flat.
• Do not rewind video- or audiotapes after viewing. Rewind them immediately before you play them again.
• Do not store tapes near heat or a magnetic field.

TEXTILES

• Clean items before storing, if possible.
• Wrap textiles in acid-free tissue or clean, white 100% cotton and store in acid-free box.
• Store textiles flat, if possible.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND SLIDES

• Don't try to flatten curled photographs or remove them from self-stick pages. Consult a professional.
• If you must attach photographs to paper, use acid-free photo corners that meet PAT requirements.
• Use acid-free paper envelopes or plastic sleeves made from uncoated pure polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyester (e.g., Mylar) to store your negatives.
• Photographs smaller than 8" x 10" can be stored vertically (on their long edges) in plastic sleeves or paper envelopes\ in a box.
• Photographs larger than 8" x 10" should be stored horizontally (flat) in folders or sleeves in a box.
• Photographs that are all the same size (e.g., 4" x 6" prints) usually can be stored in a box either horizontally or vertically together without individual sleeves or folders.
• Use a soft lead pencil (#2) to write on the back of photographs on uncoated paper. Write on an edge.
• Use a felt-tip marking pen to write on the back of photographs on resin-coated paper. Again, write on an edge rather than in the middle. Wait for the ink to dry before stacking the photographs.
• Store fragile photographs or ones that are handled often in plastic sleeves to avoid damage from abrasion.
• Copy or photocopy damaged photographs to protect the originals.
• Hold a photograph by its edges to avoid getting dirt, oils, or fingerprints on it.
• Don't stuff boxes or folders too full.
• Don't discard your original photographs and negatives if you decide to digitize your collection.
• Slides can be stored safely in polypropylene plastic boxes, metal boxes, paper boxes, or in plastic slide pages (no PVC!).
• If you frame photographs for display, use ultraviolet-filtering plastic or glass to slow fading.

METAL OBJECTS, NAMETAGS

• Store buttons, name tags, medals, or metal pins individually in boxes or plastic sleeves, which can then be stored in a larger box. A sandwich baggie will hold an individual object.

USEFUL WEB SITES

» Conservation OnLine
» U.S. National Archives & Records Administration
» Library of Congress
» Image Permanence Institute

SUPPLIERS OF ARCHIVAL PRODUCTS

» University Products
» Archival Methods
» Conservation Resources International

Are your closets packed with coaster shirts, postcards, and other amusement park memorabilia? Donate your stuff to the ACE Archives! As we say here:

We want this stuff!

We need this stuff!!

We want more of this stuff!!!!