Conserving Documents and Photographs for Future Generations

© by Erin Bradford

Part 1:  Introduction

Hello, everyone and I hope you enjoy and benefit from this series of articles on conservation.  Since I just received my MA in Public History with a concentration in archival management, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation declared May to be national preservation month, I have decided to dedicate a series of articles on preservation.   After talking with various genealogists, I realized how little genealogists knew about this topic and decided to use material from the past 2 years of school. Information used to create these articles was either presented in class lectures, learned through hands-on experience in class or at work (I work in the Special Collections Research Center at North Carolina State University), or gleaned from research for term papers.

I want to start off these articles with a short talk about the difference between the terms "preservation" and "conservation." People use these terms interchangeably and it’s good to know that even though they are the same concept, they encompass different aspects. These terms are very closely related, kind of like brother and sister, maybe even fraternal twins, but there is a difference, and sometimes it can really be confusing.

The term "conservation" refers to steps taken to prevent damage to material that has not yet happened, while the term "preservation" refers to the steps taken to repair damages that has already occurred. Some archival institutions group them together and consider both aspects either conservation or preservation rather than splitting hairs. Also, many conservationists do the work of preservationists and vice versa. These 2 terms share the same philosophies, the same ideas, and even the same methods and tools, but the main difference is preventing something from occurring vs. repairing what has already occurred.

For genealogists, conservation and preservation relates to two things: documents and photographs. Although objects are a third, I do not have sufficient knowledge in this area to give advice. The general rule of thumb for both documents and photographs is to keep them out of light and in a cool, dry place. This applies to objects as well, and that is the extent of my knowledge of conservation of objects such as cloth (also referred to as textiles) and collectibles. The remaining articles for this month will focus on photographs and documents, with the primary focus on photographs.

Throughout this series, I will be referring to two primary companies: Light Impressions and Gaylord. These are companies that the university archives I am doing my internship in recommend and use. Many products from these companies, especially photographic supplies, are products that I use myself here at home or at the archives. I am not saying you have to buy the products from these two companies, but descriptions of the material on the website will help you understand better what to look for if you decide to use a cheaper company.

• Go forward to Conservation and Storage of Documents (Part II)
• Go forward to Conserving Your Digital Photographs (Part III)
• Go forward to Conserving Your Original Photographs (Part IV)
• Go forward to Glossary and Description of Conservation Tools (Part V)
• Go forward to Conservation Resources (Part VI)