Archival Information

Archival Information

Why Should I Scan My Images?

Digitizing your photographs offers safe and easy access to your images. Scanning is necessary for printing; you can view them on the computer and share them with friends and family. Old, faded images can often be brought back to life through retouching and restoration without risking damage to the originals.

Do not throw away your original film and prints after you digitize them.
Digitized images are not considered a replacement for originals. Data on CDs and DVDs can be lost when the storage media deteriorates or gets damaged. Software and hardware technology quickly becomes obsolete in some cases making retrieval of the images difficult if not impossible. The best prospect for long-term retention of information is to back them up in more than one place (multiple USB drives, portable hard drives, etc). Your original images will outlive most digital storage solutions.

How should I store my negatives and prints?

The preservation of photographs, and all documents and artworks, depends on the storage environment and the storage enclosures. Many institutions have climate controlled storage rooms … Unfortunately, these conditions are not easily found or maintained in homes! However, there are things you can do to improve the storage climate for your valuable photographs in your home: Firstly,  store your photographs in the coolest and driest spot in your home that stays that way year round. Dampness should be avoided as it causes photos to stick together, and promotes mold growth.

Look for paper enclosures that are made from a high quality, non-acidic, lignin-free paper (buffered or unbuffered are OK) made from cotton or highly purified wood pulps. Paper envelopes with center seams should be avoided–if the seam adhesive causes fading or staining it will happen in the middle of your photograph. If you do use an envelope with a center seam, place the back side of the photo against the seam–any deterioration would have to work its way through the back before attacking the image on the front.

Look for plastic enclosures made from uncoated pure polyethylene, polypropylene or polyester (also called Mylar D or Mellinex 516). These are considered stable and non-damaging to photographs. 

Avoid the use of PVC plastics–they generate acids which can fade the photograph in time. In addition, the plastic can stick to items inside and, in some types of photographs (and printed items such as baseball cards), actually cause the image to transfer to the plastic. For these reasons, PVC enclosures should not be used for valuable photographs or those you want to preserve for a long time.

Albums are an ideal storage method for photographic prints, especially snapshots and heirloom photographs–the photographs can be safely stored and organized, and safely viewed, without inflicting damage from frequent handling. 

Besides albums, there are many different types of storage enclosures designed for the different photographic formats and sizes. These include folders, sleeves, and envelopes. The choice of enclosure depends not only on resources but also the frequency that the photos will be handled for viewing and their current fragility. Very fragile photos such as those with large tears and breaks, brittle photos, photos with broken mounts or those with a damaged surface can be put in one of the enclosures listed above with a rigid piece of paperboard behind the photo for extra support.

Remember that damaged photos can be copied or photocopied, and the copy used instead to protect valuable originals.

Lastly, the safest, and most expensive, way to store photographs is to mat them in high quality ragboard or matboard. This method is excellent for photos that are to be framed and displayed.

Information from The National Archives Website