This short class is intended to introduce participants to preserving family treasures

1. Preserving Family Treasures
LYRASIS Preservation Services
Funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment
for Humanities, division of Preservation and Access.

2. LYRASIS Preservation Services
We offer:
• Education and training: full-day workshops, live online and
self-paced classes.
• Information and referral: call us with your preservation
questions!
• Loan services: we have environmental monitoring equipment
available for loan.
• Publications: all types of preservation publications,
downloadable for free.
• Disaster assistance: We are available 24/7 to assist you.
• Consulting: personalized assistance for your specific
preservation needs.
• http://bit.ly/LYRPresHome

3. Welcome
• This short class is intended to introduce
participants to preserving family treasures
and will cover the following topics:
– What are family treasures?
– Why materials deteriorate
– Storage and shelving practices
– Supplies and materials
– Care of materials by category
– Insurance and appraisal
– When to seek help from a professional

4. What are Family Treasures?

5. What Would You Save?
• If your house was on fire and your family
(people and pets) are all safe, what one
thing would you take out of the house
with you?

6. What Would You Save???
• Whatever you said you would save, there is a
good chance that it is a personal essential
record and/or a “family treasure.”
Let’s learn more about personal essential
records….

7. Personal essential records are
those items that…
•Help you respond to emergencies
•Protect health, safety, and rights
•Require massive resources to
reconstruct
•Document the history of community and
families
We will look at each category over the next few slides.

8. Some records are necessary for
emergency response
In your personal life, this means having a
family emergency plan. What kinds of
questions does a family emergency plan
cover?
---Does your family have an alternate place to meet
if you couldn’t get back home?
--Do you have emergency supplies like food and
water readily available?
--Do you know how to shut off the water or gas in
your house?

9. For more on emergency planning:
Federal Emergency Management Agency
- Ready America:
http://www.ready.gov/america/makeaplan/index.html

10. Other records protect your rights an
help you function after a disaster:
• Mortgages/rental agreements
• Birth, marriage, and death certificates
• Medical records
• Insurance
– Medical
– Homeowners
– Car
– Life

11. Some personal essential records
would be difficult to reconstruct
Based upon large amounts of data
Examples:
• Tax records
• Cell phone contacts
• Email and physical
address books

12. Some records document family history
• These are FAMILY TREASURES
• They do not need to be made of
paper, but can be made from a
variety of materials—your
grandmother’s china, a high school
yearbook, photographs of your
great-grandparents, your great
aunt’s quilt…

13. Why do materials deteriorate?

14. Why Materials Deteriorate
• Chemical and physical NO
composition
• Storage conditions YES
• Use and handling YES
Brittle scrapbook
Can we control?

15. Chemical and Physical Composition
• Most family treasures are composed of organic
materials, and organic materials are designed
to break down over time.
• Some materials are inherently more stable—
stone and ceramic for example, while others
are less so, like most paper and textiles.
• Some materials weaken because of the way
they were put together--poor quality bindings
contribute to the deterioration of many
scrapbooks, for example.

16. Sources of Damage
• Prolonged exposure to heat and humidity:
– Speeds up chemical deterioration processes
already occurring in paper, photographs, and
audiovisual materials
• Exposure to light:
– Fades inks, pigments, and final image material
in books, documents and photographs
– Speeds up chemical deterioration

17. Sources of Damage
One can see
where another
book was stored
next to this one—
the parts of the
cover exposed to
light have faded.

18. Sources of Damage:
Tape and Glue
• Use of acidic adhesives and tapes does more
harm than good
• Results in staining from adhesive and
“adhesive creep”
• Adhesive creep= adhesive migrates and
sticks to other materials
• Adhesives are bad for long term preservation

19. Sources of Damage (continued)
• Wear from use (china gets chipped, bibles
gets ink or coffee stains on them)
– Do not stop using them, but beware of their
fragility and handle with care
Those items that are extremely valuable to us are
probably going to be used and handled a lot.

20. Sources of Damage (continued)
• Poor quality storage materials
– Appropriate paper storage materials like alkaline
buffered and acid-free papers and boards have
only been widely available for 25-30 years.
Anything older than that has the potential to be
harming your records and treasures.
– Be suspect of plastics of unknown origin and not
from reputable vendors. Certain kinds of plastics
like PVC can very harmful for collections storage.

21. • Cracks in ceramics, wooden objects, and
paintings: …can occur due to physical damage, extreme
temperature and humidity conditions, and chemical
degradation
• Books with loose or detached bindings: … can
further fall apart and cause more severe damage
• Adhesives yellowing and failing:… like Elmer’s Glue, is
not made to last for hundreds of years. Over time, the glue
yellows and cracks
• Water damage and signs of mold: …broken pipes,
leaky roofs or basements, have resulted in water damage to
documents. If left unnoticed, mold may develop, putting
both the document itself, and potentially your health, at risk.
Some Signs of Deterioration…
Have You Seen Any of These?

22. How Can We Preserve
Our Family Treasures?
•We can not change the chemical
and physical composition of
materials
•We can change the way we store
and handle them to help extend their
useful lives

23. Storage and Supplies

24. Storage Practices: Cool and Dry
• Would you want to live in a hot, humid
house filled with bugs? Neither do your
collections!
Usually, the attic or the basement is the
WORST place to store your collections because
of fluctuations in temperature and humidity,
the potential for leaks, and rodents, and the
fact that you probably don’t spend a lot of time
in those locations, so you are not in tune with
your collection’s environments.

25. Storage Practices:
Location, Location, Location!
• Avoid basements or attics:
--Both places are notorious for water
damage/mold from leaks
--Often these spaces lack insulation
• Do not place shelving along exterior walls
(temperature and humidity fluctuations)
• Avoid prolonged exposure to direct
sunlight
• Keep away from skylights…they leak!

26. Storage Practices: Cool and Dry
• In general, your family treasures should be
stored in places that are…
– Cool
– Dry
– Well-ventilated
– Free from pests
– Protected from light
– Protected from fire
– Protected from leaks

27. Storing Your Family Treasures:
Temperature & Relative Humidity Control
• Ideal conditions 68-72° F and 30-50%
relative humidity
• Try to make incremental changes—Move
items from attic to room with better
conditions for starters…
• If you cool with window units, run at low
speeds to increase dehumidification
capability

28. Materials Sensitive to High Humidity
• Metal
• Paper
• Textiles
• Wood
• Inlay
• Veneer
• Finishes
• Parchment
• Paper Mache
• Baskets
• Magnetic media
Think about where these
items are located in your
house.
Are they stored in the attic?
The basement? The barn or
shed? These are places
where you are likely to have
leaks and a potential for
high humidity, which can
lead to swelling and mold.
Avoid air conditioning vents,
where air tends to be damp.

29. Materials Sensitive to Low Humidity
• Wood
• Rawhide
• Leather
• Parchment
• Animal glues
• Tortoise shell
• Ivory
• Inlaid surfaces
Furniture can dry out, woods can crack, veneers can peel. Since
you probably have these objects stored in the same place as
the items that are sensitive to high humidity, this can prove
quite a challenge. Try and control the fluctuations and
extremes in either direction. There is more humidity in the
summer. In the winter, the heating system kicks on and dries
up the air in your house. Keep materials away from direct
source of heat/air vents to minimize the damage
• Baskets
• Quill
• Vellum

30. Storing Your Family Treasures:
Air Circulation
• Stagnant air often found in
attics/basements
• Stagnant air = happy mold spores
• Fans can increase air circulation and
prevent mold growth
• If mold already present—take care; fans
could spread spores!

31. Storing Your Family Treasures:
Mold
• For more information on mold, see
LYRASIS Preservation leaflet, “Invasion of
the Giant Mold Spore”:
– http://bit.ly/LYRPresMold

32. Storing Your Family Treasures:
Pests
• Types of pests: silverfish, roaches, moths,
beetles, rodents…all damage family treasures
• Monitor treasures, especially those packed
away
• Look for signs of activity (chewing, skins, fecal
remains)
• Keep areas clean and dry
• Seal up windows and doors

33. Shelving Practices
• Some treasures are hung or on display
• Others stored in boxes on shelves
• Steel shelving preferred—does not off-gas
• Wood shelving can off-gas volatile organic
compounds (VOCs). Seal with polyurethane
or create a barrier between wood and objects
with glass, Plexiglas, or Marvelseal™
• Oversized items should be shelved flat

34. Microclimates
• A small environment in which an object is
stored, ideally protecting the item from
external hazards and slowing the physical
and chemical deterioration.
• Microclimates can protect family treasures.
• Can be made from paper, plastic, or other
appropriate enclosure.

35. Supplies
• Make sure you are using appropriate
supplies for enclosures and storage
• Some vendors use terms that have no real
meaning—meant to make you think products
are high quality when they may or may not
be
• When in doubt, call up supplier and ask
questions

36. Supplies
• Beware of vague terms such as “Archival
quality”, “Acid-free”, and “Photo-safe”.
– these terms can be used appropriately in
association with a standard and from a reputable
vendor.
• Some better terms are:
– “Lignin” and “lig-free” paper
– Photograph Activity Test (PAT)
– ANSI/NISO Z39.48 standard for permanent paper

37. Use Inert Plastics
If you are purchasing plastic sleeves,
containers, or foam padding, look for items
made out of inert plastics, such as:
•Polyester (Mylar, Melinex, Tyvek)
•Polyethylene
•Polypropylene

38. Use Inert Plastics
Do NOT use PVC or polystyrene
peanuts or plastics of unknown
origin for long-term storage.

39. Object Storage
These items are safe for object storage:
• Black or white polyethylene foams—other
colors may be chemically treated and harm
your materials
• Polypropylene containers like Rubbermaid or
Sterilite

40. No PVC Plastics or Polystyrene
Peanuts for Long-Term Storage
• PVC = polyvinyl chloride
• These objects can off-gas,
deteriorate, and damage
your materials
• If unsure of plastic’s origin
consider replacing
Image from
http://natmus.dk/index.php?id=356

41. Purchasing Supplies
•Order from reputable suppliers
whenever possible
•Look for appropriate terminology
•Never assume “equivalence”
–“Acid-free does not mean “lignin-free”
–“Photo-safe” does not mean PVC-free
–Archival is not necessarily fade-proof

42. Testing Paper Supplies
• Use a pH pen to test acidity levels in paper
supplies and enclosures
• Most common is Abbey pH pen, which uses
chlorophenol red as the pH indicator agent

43. Testing with Abbey pH Pen
• Draw a small line or spot in an unobtrusive
area of the material being tested
• If mark is pale yellow,
the paper is acidic
• If mark is pale purple,
the paper is neutral or
alkaline
• If mark is tan, the paper is somewhat acidic

44. Use and Handling
• Careful handling is as important as appropriate storage
• Consider condition of the original
– Some treasures are only used for special occasions
– Others can handle everyday use
– Physical state of original may determine amount/kind of
use
• Wash hands before handling: dirt, oils from your skin, and
today’s lunch can damage materials
• Do not lift oversized, awkward, or heavy items alone
• When in doubt, consult a conservator for appropriate storage
and handling

45. Caring for Treasures: Paper

46. Caring for Treasures by Type: Paper
What do you have in your collections that are made
out of paper?
The kind of paper the material is made of greatly influences
how long the material will last.

47. Documents and Papers
• The “Era of Bad Paper”: 1850-1970
Caused by:
– Fiber source
– Beating technology
– Chlorine bleaching
– Additives

48. How is Paper Made?
• Paper is made of a sheet of cellulose fibers of
vegetable origin reduced to a pulp with water
and formed into a sheet on a screen
• Its quality is greatly affected by the fiber source,
the pulping process and the additives used
• Paper can be made of all sorts of things, not
just wood

49. Fiber Source: Cotton and
Linen Rags
• Prior to the mid-to-late nineteenth century,
paper in the West was made from recycled linen
and cotton rags.
• Early rag-based paper is durable and
permanent.
• The spread of literacy during the industrial
revolution increased the demand for paper,
which prompted a search for alternative fibers.

50. Fiber Source: Wood Pulp
• Wood developed into the fiber of choice and
with it came tremendous problems with
durability and permanence.
• Wood based paper offered high level of yield
at a low cost, but ultimately quality suffered.
• Unpurified wood pulp is a major source of
acid.
• The quality of paper progressively declined
primarily as a result of the introduction of
acids in the papermaking process.

51. Beating Technology
• Paper is made by reducing a fiber source to
a pulp. This is accomplished by beating.
• This used to be done with hammers,
creating long fibers and strong paper.
• Mechanization cuts fibers rather than
crushing them.
• This results in shorter, weaker fibers.

52. Chlorine Bleaching and Additives
• When chlorine is used to whiten paper and
reduce lignin, paper becomes more acidic and
deteriorates more quickly.
• When impurities such as iron and copper are
introduced into the process, they further
degrade the paper.
• Sizing agents—added to improve printability—
also contribute to acidity in paper.

53. Some Hope for Papers
•More paper mills have converted to
alkaline-based processes. This produces
better quality paper and is better for the
environment.
•ANSI Z39.48 Standard for Permanent
Paper
– Products that meet this standard will have
longer life than traditional papers
– Also look for lignin-free and/or alkaline buffered
products

54. Papers with Preservation Problems
•Brittle paper
•Newsprint
•Telegrams
•Unstable copy processes
(faxes, thermographic
papers)
•Onion skin
•Tracing paper
These papers will deteriorate or fade rapidly. They may
need to be reformatted or treated by conservator.

55. Inks
• Ink formulas vary widely
• Many will fade when exposed to light
• Many will bleed when exposed to moisture
• Some will even eat through paper (like iron
gaulle ink)
• For long-term preservation, use inks that
are permanent, fade-proof, and water-proof

56. Documents and Papers: Storage
• Keep temperature and humidity
fluctuations to a minimum.
• Copy poor quality papers onto
alkaline buffered paper.
• Place documents in appropriately
sized, alkaline buffered folders.
• Folders may be stored in document
boxes or file cabinets.

57. Avoid Harmful Adhesives
& Fasteners
• Rubber bands… deteriorate and stick
to paper
• Staples…rust
• Paper clips…rust
• Glue (Rubber Cement, Elmer’s, etc.)…
yellow, stain and lose adhesion
• Cellophane tape…carrier comes off,
leaves acidic adhesive that stains

58. Tape Damage
You should not use any tape on your materials.
Over time, they often do more harm than good.

59. The acids from the glue that was used to hold this
clipping in place is now staining the document.
Damage from Glue

60. Bound Volumes
• Avoid pulling on head/endcap to
remove from shelf—hold the front
and back cover between thumb and fingers in
center of spine
• Do not force open
• Do not “dog ear” or leave objects in book
(flowers, sticky notes, newspaper clippings)

61. Bound Volumes: Storage
• Shelve items snug for
support, but not too tight
• Store oversize volumes
flat
• Boxes for fragile volumes
– Custom, drop spine boxes
– Phase boxes and wrappers
– Polyester dust jackets
– Binders for pamphlets
– Envelopes for lightweight items
Drop spine box
Four flap, tux boxes, or wrappers

62. Family Bibles have….
• Thin paper (often of poor quality)
• Poor quality bindings
• Been well-used and are
• Hard (and expensive to
repair)
What to do?
• Store in dry, cool environment
• Create custom enclosure
• Handle with care

63. Artwork
• Leave repairs to conservator
• Where and how you hang artwork can
affect how long it lasts
• What materials you use to frame your
artwork can also have a significant impact

64. Framing and Display
• Use alkaline buffered mats and
backing board
• Item should not come in contact
with glazing
• Hinging of item to back mat board
should be reversible – no tape or
permanent adhesives
• Hang in area that receives limited
light, or display a reproduction
instead.
• To protect from light damage, use
UV filtering glazing

65. Selecting a Framer
• Ask for recommendations
• Specify how you want object framed
• Look at how object was framed

66. Selecting a Framer
• Look for members of the Professional Picture
Framers Association
– http://www.pmai.org/ppfa/
• To learn more, Matting and Framing for Art and
Artifacts on Paper
– http://www.nedcc.org/free-resources/preservation-
leaflets/4.-storage-and-handling/4.10-matting-and-
framing-for-art-and-artifacts-on-paper

67. Hanging Artwork
• Screw eyes should be attached to thick area of frame
• Eyes and ring hangers better than teeth (which put too
much strain on top portion of frame)
• Wire should be strong enough to hang painting
• Take care where you hang—make sure hook and wall
itself is strong enough
• Avoid hanging in direct sunlight to prevent damage from
natural light/UV
• Avoid hanging against outdoor wall—temp/RH
fluctuations
• Use “bumper” to raise artwork from wall—will allow air
circulation, prevent mold/condensation and prevent
artwork from scratching wall

68. Caring for Treasures:
Photographic Materials and
Films

69. Are composed of three or four
layers:
1. Support
2. Binder
3. Final Image
4. Baryta Layer (optional)
Photographs

70. • May be glass, plastic film, paper, or resin-
coated paper
• Provides the structure and stability for the
photograph to be used/held, etc.
Photographs: Support

71. • Holds the image to support
• Usually gelatin, but may be albumen or
collodian
Photographs: Binder/Emulsion

72. • Usually suspended in the
emulsion/binder
• Made of silver, color dyes or pigment
particles
• This is what makes the image you see
Photographs: Final Image (blue dots)

73. Photographs: Baryta Layer
• Optional layer
• Between base and binder
• Provides bright, smooth background for
image to display against

74. Photographs deteriorate due to:
Chemical and physical composition
Poor environmental storage conditions
Poor storage enclosures and shelving
conditions
Inappropriate use and handling
Disasters
Natural
People-created
Electronic

75. Cellulose Acetate
Most family treasures on this type of
negative (1920’s- Present)
Created in response to nitrate film,
which was flammable
Often identified by “safety” written
on the side
Vulnerable to vinegar syndrome
Deterioration characteristics
• Vinegar smell
• Bubbles/crystals
• Shrinking
Vinegar
Syndrome

76. Photographic Prints & Negatives:
Storage and Handling
• All supplies should meet the
PAT test
• Store prints and negatives
separately
• Early formats may need
custom housing
• Wear cotton gloves for
negatives and handle from
edges only

77. Avoid Exposure Light and Heat
• Chemical processes in different types of
photographs react with light and heat,
especially chromogenic photographs
(Kodachrome, Ektachrome processes)
• Exposure to light and high temperatures can
cause dyes to fade or leftover chemicals to
stain.

78. Scrapbooks and Albums
– Interleave between pages if necessary
– Shelve spine down or flat
– Protect from dust and light in a proper sized
enclosure

79. Interleaving
What to interleave:
• Photographs
• Highly acidic items
What type of paper to use:
• Acid-free
• Passes Photograph Activity
Test (PAT)
• NO glassine

80. Learn More about Photographs
• Check out
– Image Permanence Institute
•http://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org
– NEDCC resources
•http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets.list.php
• Sign up for online classes through LYRASIS
– Care of Photographic Materials
– Understanding Digital Photographs
http://bit.ly/LYRClasses

81. Scrapbooks and Albums
Handling
– Do not open flat
– Support fragile volumes with foam blocks or a
book cradle
– Store snugly in box, spine down or flat (depending
upon size)

82. Modern Scrapbooks and Albums
• Use low lignin and acid
free paper
• Use photo corners
instead of adhesives
• Avoid “magnetic” albums
(see example on right)
• Choose albums with inert
plastic pockets or paper pages
• No PVCs

83. Videotape/Audiotape Storage
• Maintain clean storage areas
• Keep controlled environment
50-60°F, 40-50% RH
• Replace acidic cardboard or vinyl boxes
• Store vertically
• Avoid sources of magnetic fields
• To learn more about caring for videos from the
AIC…
•http://bit.ly/cyWpKP

84. Videotapes: Sticky Shed Syndrome
• Occurs most commonly in polyester
videotapes made between 1975-1985
• Caused by high relative humidity, high
temperatures, and natural aging
• Characteristics: Higher friction, gummy or
waxy residue
• If you suspect sticky shed syndrome, take to
a professional to inspect/reformat

85. Home Movies
•Stored on film, videocassette, and digital
video
•Keep cool and dry in inert plastic
containers
•Keep original after transfer
•Check out Home Movie Day!
–http://www.homemovieday.com/

86. Cold Storage for Photographs
and Film
Cold storage can be used to slow
• Fading and deteriorating color
photographs
• Vinegar Syndrome in acetate negatives,
films, and reel-to-reel tapes

87. Digital Collections
• More and more family treasures are being
created electronically or digitized
• What kinds of family treasures do you have
in electronic format?

88. Digital Collections…A Few
Examples
• Photos
• Video
• Emails
• Facebook pages
• Music
• Online scrapbooks and much more!
What are you doing to preserve these things?

89. Preserving Digital Collections
•Unfortunately there are no easy answers…
But here are a few things you can do to
ensure that your digital family treasures
last…

90. Digital Collections
•If digitizing, keep the original object
–it may be easier to re-digitize from the
original
•When in doubt, print it out!
–We know how to preserve paper, so if you
can create a paper copy, do so

91. Digital Collections
• Keep multiple digital copies in multiple
places
– Send copies to friends and family around the
country. Keep some on cd, some on your
computer, buy a back-up hard drive
• Be prepared and proactive to migrate
materials
– Did you ever have to transfer your documents
from Word Perfect to Microsoft Word?
– Plan to migrate your materials at least every five
years onto new media and/or a new format

92. Caring for Treasures: Furniture
and Other Objects

93. Furniture
• Often complex components (glass, wood,
textiles, nails, stains, adhesives)
• Sunlight can affect color and finish
• Keep out of direct sunlight
• Avoid humid conditions for wood
• Vulnerable to pests infestations
– Wood: termites/beetles
– Textiles: moths/carpet beetles
For more on furniture, see Saving Your Treasures:
Furniture
http://www.netnebraska.org/basic-page/television/saving-your-
treasures-furniture

94. Furniture: Care and Handling
• Use pads and coasters to prevent wear and
tear
– Use mylar backed cork
– Don’t use felt because it absorbs moisture
• Moving furniture
– Move from from the bottom not the top
– Do not drag across floor
– Make sure you have enough folks to lift
– If moving long distances make sure properly
padded and you understand your insurance
coverage

95. Furniture: Cleaning
• Clean with lint-free cloth—good bet for
most wood
• Cloth can be vacuumed with brush
attachment wrapped in cheesecloth
• Avoid stain-resistant treatments
• Use paste wax sparingly
• Do not wax damaged areas

96. Decorative Metals
• Many decorative metals look alike but need
to be stored, handled and cared differently
• Never clean/polish without accurate
identification

97. Silver
• Generic term
• Sterling silver= 92.5% pure and will be
labeled “sterling”
• Susceptible to mixing with other metals—
leads to corrosion (tarnishing)
• Tarnish = silver sulfide
• Oil on your hands can corrode
• Removing tarnish removes portion of the
silver; over time, loses shape, luster, etc.

98. Cleaning and Storing Silver
• Early stages of tarnish can be remove without polishing
using a clean piece of flannel, muslin or other soft cotton
• Solid pieces can be hand washed with mild detergent;
hollow pieces should not be—water can work its way into
hollow parts and corrode
• Do not put silver in dishwasher—hand wash and dry
quickly
• For more on cleaning silver, see video, see Saving
Nebraska’s Treasures website: How to Polish Silver
– http://netnebraska.org/interactive-multimedia/culture/saving-your-
treasures-how-polish-silver-objects
• Avoid storing acidic foods or foods with sulfur: lemon,
tomatoes, eggs
• Also avoid rubber, fresh flowers, newspaper, wool and
salt

99. Textiles
• Deteriorate due to chemical changes,
mechanical wear, and mishandling
• Light and heat fade colors, break down fibers,
and discolor finishes
• High relative humidity can lead to mold/mildew
• Low relative humidity can lead to drying out
• Atmospheric pollutants, acidic wood/paper, or
cleaning chemicals damage fabrics
• Creases from folds damage over time

100. Textiles: Storage
• Keep out of sun and fluorescent light
• Display flat or at an angle to minimize stretching or
pulling of fabric
• Avoid pesticides and mothballs
• Store in acid-free boxes with unbuffered tissue or
wrapped in clean, with sheets
• Avoid creases by padding with unbuffered tissue
• Roll rugs or blankets pile outward and wrap in undyed
cotton or white sheet

101. Textiles: Cleaning
• Blot spills immediately
• Sturdy fabrics can be vacuumed with brush
attachment covered with cotton cheesecloth
on low suction
• Do not wash or dry clean fragile textiles
• For more on caring for textiles, see Saving Your
Treasures: Textiles
– http://www.netnebraska.org/basic-page/television/saving-your-
treasures-textiles

102. Clothing
• Keep use to a minimum if you are concerned with
keeping the item in good shape
• Restrict use to those who are the same size or
smaller of the original wearer
• Avoid exposure to deodorant and make-up
• Fragile items should not be dry-cleaned, bleached,
or even washed
• Hang on well-padded plastic hanger covered in
unbleached cotton cloth that is as wide as
garment’s shoulders to support
• Avoid hanging knit, bias-cut or heavy garments

103. Glass and Ceramics:
Storage and Handling
• Use clean, bare hands when handling
• Do not pick up by handles or rim
• Store in dry cupboards—do not overstack so you can
easily lift in/out
• Pad individual pieces if necessary—ethafoam,
flannel, paper towels, or polyethelene. Do not use
newsprint
• Don’t use heirloom objects for food storage or
flower arrangements

104. Glass and Ceramics:
Display
• Best displayed in cabinets with glass panels rather
than open shelves—this forms an additional layer of
protection from prying hands, kids running into,
dust, fluctuations in temperature and humidity
• If you use glass plate stands, use plastic ones—
metal ones might rust
• If you use metal hooks to hang on walls, purchase
clear vinyl tubing from hardware store to slip over
the hangers to protect ceramics from damage
• Use mats for pieces displayed on furniture. This
protects both pieces from damage and limits
likelihood that piece will slip

105. Glass and Ceramics: Cleaning
• Wash glazed and glass objects by hand
• Avoid washing unglazed objects or those with objects
with gold edging, hand-painting or repairs. Use dry
brush
• Do not use dusting sprays, polishes, bleach or
commercial cleaners
• Do not use scrub pads—only foam sponges
• Chandeliers should be dusted with soft-haired brush
• Mirrors—do not spray directly on mirror but on cloth

106. Insurance, Appraisers, and
Conservation

107. Insurance for Your Family
Treasures
• Do you have renter’s or homeowner’s insurance?
• Make sure that you understand what events your
policy covers and what kind of restitution you will
receive
• If you have particularly valuable family treasures, make
sure that you add specific riders on your insurance
policy for replacement value of these items
• Maintain a list of your family treasures, complete with
time/date stamped photographs to document
condition in case of damage or theft
• Store list in multiple places (outside of the house).

108. Appraisers
• Appraisers can help you determine value of your
family treasures
• Good appraiser will charge flat fee that they will tell
you upfront
• Do not use appraiser who will charge a percentage of
the item’s value
• American Society of Appraisers
– http://www.appraisers.org/ASAHome.aspx
• Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America
– http://abaa.org

109. Leave Repairs to the Experts
Amateur repair can cause
more harm than good!
When in doubt, DO
NOTHING!

110. Conservation vs. Restoration
• Restoration
– An attempt to make an item look as though it
were new
– Replacing worn or deteriorated parts.
• Conservation
– Focus is on chemical and physical stabilization
– Rule of reversibility: Any thing done by a
conservator should be able to be undone.
– “Less is best”

111. Seeking Conservation
Treatment
• Seek treatment to stabilize rather than “restore”.
• Choose a conservator according to specialty
(i.e., paper, books, paintings, objects, textiles)
• A conservator should provide
– Proposed treatment estimate
– Examination and condition assessment
– Written report and before and after photography
– Insurance coverage
• Contact two or three conservators for estimates
and check their references.

112. How to Find a Conservator
• The American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
of Historic and Artistic Works maintains a list
– http://bit.ly/csPyuF
• For more help on selecting a conservator
see the AIC Guidelines for Selecting a
Conservator

113. When Should You Contact
a Conservator?
• After a disaster
• If you see signs of pest infestation
• If an item has been broken or torn
• If you notice a rapid change in the
condition of an item
• If you have a mold or mildew outbreak

114. For More Information
• Heritage Preservation’s Caring for Your Family
Treasures
– http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PUBS/treasure
s.HTM
• Saving Nebraska’s Treasures
– http://netnebraska.org/basic-
page/television/saving-your-treasures

115. Follow Us on
• http://www.facebook.com/LyrDigPres

116. Thank You!
Contact us if you have any questions
LYRASIS Preservation Services
1438 W. Peachtree St. NW/Suite 200
Atlanta, GA 30309
preservation@lyrasis.org
1-800-999-8558