How to Preserve Historical Records: A Call to Action.

The whisper of history is fragile. It lives not only in grand monuments but also in faded notebooks, brittle photographs, and forgotten digital files. These aren’t just old things; they are the very foundation of how we understand ourselves, and they guide us into the future. But there’s a silent threat out there, slowly eroding the evidence of human experience. This isn’t just a job for big institutions; it’s something we all need to do, especially those of us who tell stories and search for truth. This guide is your roadmap, your practical handbook for keeping the past safe, making sure its stories echo for many generations to come.

The Looming Crisis: Why Records Disappear

Before we get into the solutions, we need to understand the many dangers. Records don’t just magically vanish, but they do break down, disappear, or become impossible to access because of a mix of things. Understanding what speeds up this loss is the first step to stopping it.

1. Environmental Degradation: The Silent Killer

Paper, film, and magnetic media just aren’t meant to last forever.

• Acidic Paper (Wood Pulp): Most paper made since the mid-1800s has something called lignin in it. This is an acidic chemical that makes paper turn brown, get brittle, and eventually crumble. Think about old newspaper clippings that turn to dust when you touch them. Here’s what you can do: If you inherit a collection of family letters from the 1930s, don’t store them in a cardboard box in the garage. Instead, immediately move them to acid-free folders and archival boxes, and keep them in a place where the temperature and humidity are controlled.
• Humidity and Temperature Fluctuations: Too much humidity encourages mold and bugs, while extreme dryness makes things crack. When these levels go up and down a lot, it stresses materials and makes them fall apart faster. Here’s what you can do: If you have old photographs, avoid keeping them in an attic (which gets hot and humid in summer, and cold in winter) or a basement (which is often damp). A consistent interior closet, away from outside walls, is a much better choice.
• Light Exposure (UV Radiation): Sunlight, and even fluorescent light, can fade inks, dyes, and colors, and also weaken the structure of the material itself. Here’s what you can do: If you’re displaying an old framed map, make sure it’s on a wall not directly exposed to sunlight. You might even consider using UV-filtering glass for the frame.
• Pests and Vermin: Bugs like silverfish and bookworms, and even rodents, can eat or damage paper, fabric, and glues. Here’s what you can do: Before storing boxes of documents, check them carefully for any signs of pests. Use archival materials, which are less appealing to pests, and definitely don’t store food near your records.

2. Technological Obsolescence: The Digital Dilemma

Our digital world, while amazing for storage, also has its own unique weaknesses.

• “Bit Rot” and Data Degradation: Digital data isn’t immune to falling apart. Over time, storage devices (hard drives, flash drives, CDs) can fail, leading to corrupted or lost data. Here’s what you can do: If you keep all your research notes on a single external hard drive, you need to use the 3-2-1 backup strategy: have at least three copies of your data, on two different kinds of storage, with one copy stored somewhere else (like in cloud storage or on another physical drive in a different location).
• Software and Hardware Obsolescence: Files made with old software (like WordPerfect 5.1 or early Photoshop versions) might become unreadable as technology moves forward. Also, older hardware (like floppy disk drives or Zip drives) might not be accessible anymore. Here’s what you can do: If you find old project files from 1998 on floppy disks, you’d need to find working old hardware and software just to open them. Then, you’d have to move that data to current, universally readable formats like PDF/A for text and TIFF for images.
• Media Deterioration: Digital storage media simply don’t last forever. CDs and DVDs can degrade; magnetic tapes lose their ability to hold data; and solid-state drives have a limited number of times data can be written to them. Here’s what you can do: Don’t rely on a ten-year-old USB stick for your family photos. Regularly move important digital files to newer, more reliable storage media and cloud services.

3. Human Factors: Unintentional Destruction

Accidents, not paying attention, and simply not knowing better contribute a lot to records being lost.

• Improper Handling: Creasing, tearing, folding, or writing on historical documents causes damage that can’t be undone. Here’s what you can do: When looking at old maps or photographs, always handle them with clean hands, ideally wearing white cotton gloves, and support the entire item to keep it from tearing or creasing.
• Disaster and Calamity: Fires, floods, earthquakes, and other natural disasters can wipe out entire collections in an instant. Here’s what you can do: Important documents (like birth certificates or property deeds) should be kept in fire-proof, water-resistant safes or safety deposit boxes. Digital backups should always be stored somewhere else.
• Lack of Awareness/Training: Many people simply don’t know how to properly take care of historical materials. Here’s what you can do: Learn about basic archival principles and share that knowledge with others. Share this guide, for example.
• Intentional Destruction/Neglect: Sometimes, records are destroyed on purpose for different reasons, or simply thrown away as “junk” when someone is cleaning out an estate. Here’s what you can do: Before throwing out any old documents, especially those that might be important personally or for the community, talk to a local historical society or archivist. What looks like junk to one person could be priceless to someone else.

The Preservation Imperative: A Multi-Pronged Approach

Preserving things isn’t a one-time event; it’s a continuous commitment that needs a thoughtful, layered approach.

I. Environmental Control: Creating a Safe Haven

The goal here is to stabilize the environment to slow down how quickly things break down.

• Temperature and Humidity: The Goldilocks Zone: Aim for a steady temperature between 65-70°F (18-21°C) and relative humidity (RH) between 45-55%. Don’t use basements, attics, or garages for long-term storage. Here’s what you can do: For a small personal collection, use a spare room or a temperature-controlled interior closet. If your environment is very damp, you might consider a small dehumidifier, but make sure to monitor humidity levels so you don’t make it too dry.
• Light Mitigation: Store materials in the dark when you’re not using them. For items on display, use UV-filtering sleeves or glass. Here’s what you can do: Store photographs in archival albums with pages that block light, or in acid-free boxes. When you’re looking at them, use indirect light.
• Pest Management: Keep storage areas clean. Don’t eat or drink near records. Use acid-free, lignin-free, and buffered archival supplies, as these are less attractive to pests. Here’s what you can do: If you find signs of pests, isolate the affected materials and talk to a professional conservator. Never use household pesticides near records.

II. Proper Handling and Storage: The Human Touch

Beyond just the environment, how we physically interact with records is incredibly important.

• Cleanliness is Godliness: Always work with clean hands. When handling fragile or sensitive items like photographs, negatives, or very old documents, wear white cotton or nitrile gloves to avoid transferring skin oils and dirt. Here’s what you can do: Before unrolling an old map, wash your hands thoroughly and lay it out on a clean, flat surface, completely free of food or drink.
• Minimize Handling: The less an item is handled, the longer it will last. Make copies (digital or paper) for when you need to refer to them often. Here’s what you can do: If you regularly use a fragile family recipe card, laminate a high-quality photocopy and use that for cooking, keeping the original safely stored away.
• Flat Storage Preferred: Store things flat whenever possible. Folding creates weak spots and creases. For very large items like maps, roll them around a large-diameter acid-free tube, then store that tube in an archival box. Here’s what you can do: Instead of folding large blueprints, carefully roll them and put them in an acid-free document storage tube.
• Archival Supplies Only: This isn’t optional. “Acid-free” and “Lignin-free” are the absolute bare minimum requirements. “Buffered” materials offer extra protection against future acid problems.
  • Folders and Boxes: Use acid-free, lignin-free, buffered folders and archival storage boxes specifically designed for documents, photos, or textiles. Here’s what you can do: Replace old, acidic manila folders with new, archival-quality folders you can get from reputable archival supply companies.
  • Enclosures (Sleeves): For photographs, negatives, and small documents, use polyester (Mylar D), polypropylene, or polyethylene sleeves. Avoid PVC (polyvinyl chloride) because it breaks down and harms the materials. Here’s what you can do: Take all your photographs out of those magnetic photo albums (which have damaging glues and plastics) and put them individually into archival sleeves and acid-free photo boxes.
  • Interleaving Paper: Use acid-free tissue paper between sheets of historically important documents or prints to stop ink from transferring or to prevent rubbing damage. Here’s what you can do: When storing fragile prints, put a sheet of acid-free tissue paper between each print so they don’t stick together or smudge.

III. Digital Preservation: Safeguarding the Ephemeral

This is an area where many personal and institutional efforts fall short. Digital records are much more delicate than most people realize.

• Format Migration: Convert files from proprietary or outdated formats to open, stable, and widely supported formats.
  • Text: .txt, .rtf, .odt, .pdf/A (PDF for Archiving). Avoid .doc, .docx for long-term preservation because they are proprietary. Here’s what you can do: Convert old Word .doc files to .pdf/A for long-term preservation, making sure they’ll be readable on future platforms.
  • Images: .tiff, .jpeg2000, .png. Avoid .jpg for master files because it’s a “lossy” format (meaning information is thrown away every time you save it). Save original scans as TIFFs, then make JPEGs for viewing. Here’s what you can do: Scan old family photographs at a high resolution (at least 600dpi) and save them as uncompressed TIFF files. Then, create smaller JPEG copies for sharing online or viewing on devices.
  • Audio/Video: .wav, .aiff for audio; .mp4 (with H.264 or H.265 codec), .mov for video. Here’s what you can do: Convert an old family video from a VHS tape to a digital MP4 file, but also save an uncompressed WAV or AIFF version of any truly important audio parts.
• The 3-2-1 Backup Rule: Your Digital Fortress: This is the absolute golden rule for digital preservation.
  • 3 Copies: Have at least three copies of your data.
  • 2 Different Media Types: Store these copies on at least two different types of storage media (for example, an external hard drive and cloud storage; or an internal drive and a DVD).
  • 1 Off-site Copy: At least one copy should be stored somewhere else, away from your main location, to protect against local disasters (like a fire, flood, or theft). Here’s what you can do: If you finish a novel manuscript, save a copy on your computer, another on an external hard drive, and a third to a reputable cloud storage service like Backblaze, Google Drive, or Dropbox.
• Metadata is King: This is information about your information. Without good metadata, digital files become impossible to find and use.
  • Descriptive Metadata: Who, what, when, where, why. This includes the creator, date created, keywords, title, and a description. Here’s what you can do: For a digital photograph of a family reunion, don’t just save it as “IMG_0023.jpg”. Rename it to something like “SmithFamilyReunion_2023_ParkName.tiff” and add tags or keywords like “Smith,” “reunion,” “2023,” “cousins,” “park” within the file’s properties.
  • Technical Metadata: File format, size, resolution, date modified.
  • Preservation Metadata: Who moved the file, when, and from what format.
  • Rights Metadata: Copyright information, access restrictions. Here’s what you can do: For a digitized historical document, record who owns the copyright and any specific rules about how it can be used.
• Regular Auditing and Migration: Digital files need constant attention. Storage media breaks down, and formats change. Regularly check your files to make sure they’re complete and move them to new formats or media as needed. Here’s what you can do: Every 3-5 years, you should review your digital archives, copy files to newer hard drives, and maybe even rethink your cloud storage provider.

IV. Damage Mitigation and Professional Intervention: Knowing When to Seek Help

Some damage is just too much for you to fix on your own and needs special expertise.

• Don’t DIY with Chemicals: Never try to “clean” old documents, photographs, or artworks with household chemicals, solvents, or even water unless you’ve been specifically trained. You risk causing damage that can’t be undone. Here’s what you can do: If an old document has mold, do not wipe it with bleach or water. Isolate it, let it air out in a dry, dark place, and talk to a professional conservator.
• Professional Conservators: These are highly trained specialists who can fix tears, remove stains, remove acid from paper, and stabilize fragile materials. They have the right tools, chemicals, and knowledge. Here’s what you can do: If a family heirloom photograph from the 1880s is ripped and stained, instead of trying to tape it yourself, find a certified photographic conservator for repair.
• Archivists and Librarians: They are experts at organizing, preserving, and making historical collections available. They can offer advice, resources, or even accept donations. Here’s what you can do: If you find a significant collection of letters from a local historical figure, contact your local historical society or public library. They might be very interested in acquiring and preserving the collection.
• Emergency Preparedness: Have a plan for potential disasters.
  • Identification of Key Records: Know which records are the most important.
  • Safe Storage: Store critical materials (like birth certificates, deeds, digital backups) in fire-proof/water-resistant containers or off-site.
  • Recovery Contacts: Have the contact information for conservators, drying services, and emergency personnel. Here’s what you can do: Keep a list of crucial documents and their locations in an off-site, easily accessible place (like a cloud drive or at a trusted family member’s home).

Advocacy and Awareness: The Collective Responsibility

Preservation isn’t just about what one person does; it’s about building a culture of care.

• Educate Others: Share what you learn. Highlight how valuable historical records are to your friends, family, and community members. Here’s what you can do: Host an informal “preserve your family history” workshop with friends, sharing tips on scanning old photos or choosing archival boxes.
• Support Archival Institutions: Libraries, museums, historical societies, and university archives are the backbone of professional preservation. They need money, volunteers, and public support. Here’s what you can do: Become a member of your local historical society, donate to their conservation fund, or volunteer to help transcribe old documents.
• Lobby for Funding: Advocate for government funding for national, state, and local archives. Preservation is expensive and often doesn’t get enough money. Here’s what you can do: Write to your elected officials, emphasizing how important it is to preserve public records and historical collections.
• Personal Storytelling: As writers, we are perfectly positioned to show how powerful historical records are. Use your craft to tell stories that demonstrate why these records matter, how they shape what we know, and what we lose when they vanish. Here’s what you can do: Write an article or a short story about a rediscovered historical document and its impact, illustrating the loss that could have happened if it wasn’t preserved.

The Writer’s Role: Beyond the Page

For writers, the connection to historical records is deeply personal. Our work often starts with them, depends on them, and ultimately adds to the historical narrative.

• Source Preservation: If you use historical documents for your research, advocate for their proper preservation in the institutions you use. If you have your own personal research materials, treat them like historical artifacts themselves. Here’s what you can do: When working in an archive, follow all handling rules very carefully. If you notice a document that seems to be in trouble, gently bring it to the archivist’s attention.
• Ethical Digitization: When digitizing your own research materials, do it responsibly. Scan at a high resolution, add appropriate metadata, and ensure long-term storage and backup. Here’s what you can do: If you’re digitizing a rare book for your research, aim for a lossless image format and make sure the lighting is good to avoid shadows and glare.
• Legacy Planning: What happens to your own writings, research, and correspondence after you’re gone? Plan for what will happen to your literary and personal archives. Here’s what you can do: Consider designating a library, university, or historical society as the place for your literary papers, making sure your life’s work is taken care of and accessible.

The past isn’t just gone; it’s constantly slipping away. Its whispers get fainter with every crumbling page, every lost piece of data. This isn’t a distant, academic worry, but a real threat to our collective memory, our identity, and our future. By understanding the dangers and taking decisive action—from the choices we make in our own homes to the advocacy we pursue in our communities—we can become the guardians of history, ensuring its invaluable lessons and profound stories endure. The call for preservation is clear; now, it’s our turn to answer.