Helpful Info for You
PROTECTING YOUR TREASURES
In accordance with our sincere belief that protecting your personal treasures is a critically important project whether done by you, by us or by someone else, the following links and information are being provided to you from the most qualified and unbiased authority we know: The Library of Congress. They are without a doubt some of the best in the world at preserving an important history, and we encourage you to read the descriptions and follow the links that are most relevant to your personal situation. There are no "counters" on these links and no one is compensated in any way; it is simply our way of offering you the very best information on helping you to preserve your personal history items.
SECURITY NOTE FOR YOUR PEACE OF MIND
Below you will find links (via the "Read More" buttons) to take you directly to various Library of Congress webpages, which will offer you more information on specific subjects and issues.
By clicking on a "Read More" button you will open a small window entitled "External Link" asking you to approve the opening of a new tab or separate window in your web browser.
This window was prompted by your choice to click the button and does NOT constitute a
breach of security in any way.
If you press the "Got It" button you will not proceed any further. If you press the link for "Open link in
new tab" then you will proceed to the linked page.
Just know that you may safely and confidently approve your choice by pressing the
"Open link in new tab" button and know that it is simply a necessary function of taking you
to the related web page.
By clicking on a "Read More" button you will open a small window entitled "External Link" asking you to approve the opening of a new tab or separate window in your web browser.
This window was prompted by your choice to click the button and does NOT constitute a
breach of security in any way.
If you press the "Got It" button you will not proceed any further. If you press the link for "Open link in
new tab" then you will proceed to the linked page.
Just know that you may safely and confidently approve your choice by pressing the
"Open link in new tab" button and know that it is simply a necessary function of taking you
to the related web page.
Library of Congress - Preservation Directorate
Ensuring long-term access to the Library's collections.
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Collections Care
Basic information and simple steps to take for the good care, handling, and storage of various materials and formats found in library and home collections; Guidelines for reducing risks to library materials posed by display/exhibition, reformatting, water, and airborne pollutants and for using ABLE™ 7.0 software for the preparation of materials for library binding.
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Care, Handling and Storage of Photographs
Identifying, care and handling, storage, and other issues for photographs.
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Care, Handling, and Storage of Works on Paper
Works on paper generally refer to flat (as opposed to bound) paper materials, including documents, manuscripts, drawings, prints, posters, and maps. Taking care when handling any collection item is one of the more effective, cost-efficient, and easily achieved preservation measures.
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Care, Handling, and Storage of Books
Taking care when handling any collection item, especially functional items like books with flexing parts, is one of the more effective, cost-efficient, and easily achieved preservation measures.
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Preservation Measures for Scrapbooks and Albums
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Preservation Measures for Newspapers
Taking care when handling any collection item, especially large format, poor-quality paper items like newspapers, is one of the more effective, cost-efficient, and easily achieved preservation measures.
Newspapers from the mid-19th century onwards are printed on inexpensive, machine-made, wood pulp paper that is not manufactured for longevity. Due to the inherent chemical instabilities of such low-quality wood pulp papers, these newspapers are inherently acidic. Good storage is especially critical to the preservation of acidic papers.
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Newspapers from the mid-19th century onwards are printed on inexpensive, machine-made, wood pulp paper that is not manufactured for longevity. Due to the inherent chemical instabilities of such low-quality wood pulp papers, these newspapers are inherently acidic. Good storage is especially critical to the preservation of acidic papers.
Care, Handling, and Storage of Comic Books
Taking care when handling any collection item, especially functional items like comic books and magazines with flexing parts, is one of the more effective, cost-efficient, and easily achieved preservation measures.
Comic books are modern publications, the earliest of which are from the 19th century industrial era when machine-made, wood pulp paper had already become the dominant paper product. Due to the inherent chemical instabilities of wood pulp papers and the late development of U.S. paper standards (in the 1980s), many comic book collections contain acidic books. Good storage is especially critical to the preservation of acidic paper materials.
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Comic books are modern publications, the earliest of which are from the 19th century industrial era when machine-made, wood pulp paper had already become the dominant paper product. Due to the inherent chemical instabilities of wood pulp papers and the late development of U.S. paper standards (in the 1980s), many comic book collections contain acidic books. Good storage is especially critical to the preservation of acidic paper materials.
Care, Handling, and Storage of Audio Visual Materials
Taking care when handling any collection item is one of the more effective, cost-efficient, and easily achieved preservation measures.
Grooved discs and cylinders, optical discs, and magnetic tape are made of modern materials that may have inherent chemical instabilities. Good storage is especially critical to the preservation of these materials.
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Grooved discs and cylinders, optical discs, and magnetic tape are made of modern materials that may have inherent chemical instabilities. Good storage is especially critical to the preservation of these materials.
Care, Handling, and Storage of Motion Picture Film
Motion picture film can be made of various materials and by different processes and both material and process inform storage, handling, and duplication recommendations.
Motion picture films and especially the silver particles or color dyes that constitute the image are highly sensitive to inappropriate environmental conditions; good storage is arguably the best preservation measure one can take.
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Motion picture films and especially the silver particles or color dyes that constitute the image are highly sensitive to inappropriate environmental conditions; good storage is arguably the best preservation measure one can take.
Care, Handling and Storage of Asian Style Bindings
Specific handling considerations are based on the style of book. There are two basic types of Asian style bindings for paper based books, the accordion style and the side-sewn style. Each format requires a handling approach specific to its needs.
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How to Preserve Your Own Digital Materials
Our photo albums, letters, home movies and paper documents are a vital link to the past. Personal information we create today has the same value. The only difference is that much of it is now digital.
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Digital Preservation
Digital preservation is the active management of digital content over time to ensure ongoing access.
The goal of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program was to implement a national strategy to collect, preserve and make available significant digital content, especially information that is created in digital form only, for current and future generations. Congress directed the Library to undertake NDIIPP in 2000.
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The goal of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program was to implement a national strategy to collect, preserve and make available significant digital content, especially information that is created in digital form only, for current and future generations. Congress directed the Library to undertake NDIIPP in 2000.
Sustainability of Digital Formats: Planning for Library of Congress Collections
The Sustainability of Digital Formats Web site provides information about digital content formats. The analyses and resources presented here will increase and be updated over time. The compilers, Caroline R. Arms, Carl Fleischhauer, and Kate Murray invite feedback on the content.
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Recommended Formats Statement
Recommended Formats Statement identifies hierarchies of the physical and technical characteristics of creative formats, both analog and digital, which will best meet the needs of all concerned, maximizing the chances for survival and continued accessibility of creative content well into the future.
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