Ottawa Stake 2006 Family History Fair of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

“Preserving Your Family History” Family History Preservation and Conservation

Shirley-Ann Pyefinch Director Ottawa Stake Family History Center Email: [email protected]

Family History Preservation and Conservation Presentation Outline:  What is preservation and conservation?  Why preserve your family history?  What is your family history?  Where can you find your family history?  Who wants to know about your family history?  How to preserve your family history?

What is preservation and conservation? A. The term conservation in the current museum context is defined as: “All actions aimed at the safeguarding of

cultural property for the future. The purpose of conservation is to study, record, retain and restore the culturally significant qualities of the object with the least possible intervention.”

What is the preservation and conservation of your family history?

R. All actions aimed at safeguarding your family history objects for the future.

Why preserve your family history?

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Preserving your family history is important because if you don’t then who will?

Why preserve your family history? 2. The family forms the basic unit of society. Therefore, family histories form an important reflection of our country, culture and society. In the practice of records management we are taught that we keep records to preserve the collective memory, “human records give record of life.”

Why preserve your family history? 3. Develops bonds between generations. 4. Some individuals require molecular genealogies of their ancestors to know if they may be a carrier of a genetic disorder or have a genetic disorder.

What is your family history?  

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Is it an old textile or fragile china belonging to an ancestor? Grandma’s secret recipe for tea biscuits? Music and dances passed from generation to generation? A dying language taught from parent to child? A picture? A journal? Audio and visual sound recordings? Paper documents and books?

What is your family history? 

Genealogy is defined in the Oxford Dictionary as: “A line of descent traced from an ancestor, the study of lines of descent.”

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We prefer the term family history because family history is more encompassing than the term genealogy. Family history can include tangible and intangible items.

Where can you find your family history? 

All around you in your home and in the homes of your extended families.

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Your family members.

Example of a Common Family Prayer Book Containing Family History Information

Where can you find your family history? In repositories such as libraries, city, provincial and federal archives.  In courthouse records.  The internet. 

Where can you find your family history?  Historical

and genealogical societies.

 Church

records and cemeteries.

Where can you find your family history? 

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Family History Centres and Library. There are over 4,000 Family History Centers worldwide operating in over 88 countries. Family History Centers are staffed by helpful volunteers.

Where can you find your family history? 

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Family History Library was first established in 1894 to assist members of the church with their family history and genealogical research. The great resources of the Libraries’ collection are found in the Granite Mountain Record Vault or also known as the GMRV. The GMRV contains over 6.4 million worldwide microfilmed records which can form an important resource for your family history research.

How to preserve your family history? A. Document and research your family history. Step 1= Write down what you already know about your family. Step 2=Decide what missing information you want to learn about your family. Step 3=Find out what research has already been done. Step 4=Search other records to locate missing information. Step 5= Evaluate and share your information.

Who wants to know about your family history? 

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Besides your own family, we are interested in your family history at familysearch.org. In May 1999 President Gordon B. Hinckley launched the familysearch internet service. familysearch.org website now has an estimated 1 million visitors per month. Over 20 million hits per month globally are to Family History websites. You may add your family history research to our on-line collection as part of our pedigree resource file. There are over 1 million names per month added to the familysearch.org web site through Pedigree Resource File. Pedigree Resource File is now over one billion names. Pedigree Resource File is a collection of pedigrees which have been contributed from all over the world to the family search website.

How to preserve your family history? B. Use the best quality of products that you can afford to buy. 

The quality of the products used in whatever media will either lengthen or shorten the lifespan of the item. Name brands may not guarantee the quality of products, testing the products performance while in use may be necessary.

(For example buy a high quality cd or acid free paper products.)

How to preserve your family history? C. Preserve Paper Documents. Choosing the best paper:  Paper comes in different weights; decide the right paper for the right job.  Want paper that contains less than 0.7% lignin.  Want paper that contains at least 2% calcium carbonate.  Cold pH extract from 7.5 to 10 and acid free. Test the acidity of your documents using a pH pen. Paper should be made of cotton, linen or fully bleached chemical fibre and virgin or recycled fibres.  Papers should meet strength requirements for tear strength, tensile and fold endurance. There are two strength grades: Grade 1 and Grade 2(high referral papers).  Perform well under age testing and meet requirements for opacity and brightness.

Proper Handling and Storage of Paper Documents 

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Wash and dry your hands before handling paper because oil and debris can permanently stain paper. Use white cotton gloves when handling documents. Use larger horizontal supports for fragile paper documents especially if moving the document. Careless handling can cause tears, folds, creases and abrasions to the paper. Store in a dark place, exposure to florescent light and sunlight can promote chemical degradation and cause the ink to fade. Fragile or damaged papers should be stored horizontally.

Paper Documents Understanding the Stability of Photo Copied Paper Documents:  Use permanent copy paper  Meets established standards set by ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials). The most permanent paper is coded: “LE-1000”(or Type 1) and is expected to last several hundred years.

Paper Documents 

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Toner composition must be considered. The best toners are composed of carbon black pigment and a stable resin. Avoid toners with iron oxides or also known as ferrite because iron oxides are unstable in dampness. There is also the risk of staining on the paper from the iron oxides.

Paper Documents  

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Avoid coloured toners because coloured toners have light and heat fastness problems. In unfiltered fluorescent lights at 450 lx illumination, Canon colour copies survive for 7.8 years. (CCI Technical Bulletin 22) Avoid stacking photocopies, especially at high temperatures because the papers may stick together from heat and pressure. Toners softening temperature can be as low as room temperature.

Paper Documents 

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Avoid placing photocopies in direct contact with PVC and similar plastics because migrating plasticizers can make the toner sticky and capable of transferring to adjacent surfaces. polyester film is safer. Polypropylene or Mylar are often used to store paper documents safely in an archival setting.

Paper Documents For Computer Printing; Laser Versus Ink Jet on Paper:  Laser is a more stable medium than inkjet. Therefore, a better choice for long term storage of your data.  Inkjet on papers are unstable if exposed to water the ink will bleed.

Containers for Storage Containers should be used:  To protect paper from dust and light exposure.  Not be overcrowded, spacers used to support vertically stored papers so they do not slump.  Should be acid free. Ideal storage containers are acid free cardboard boxes, polyethylene and polypropylene.  Moderate temperature and low humidity discourages pests and mould growth.  Never store your family history objects or documents in the basement, garage or attic. Temperature and humidity needs to be stable in order to preserve objects and documents.

D. Understanding and Caring of Photographic Materials Care of Negatives:  Negatives are sensitive to light, temperature, humidity, pollution, mishandling and poor processing.  Colour negatives are subject to fading more than black and white negatives.  Old film negatives that are acetate based may develop a vinegar-like smell, which indicates a chemical reaction has taken place. Nitrate films may have deteriorated, the film softened and the image faded. The gases released from Nitrate film are toxic and storing large quantities of this type of film can be a health risk and a fire hazard.

Care of Negatives 

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Negatives may need to be repackaged in safe acid-free materials for storage. Label the package before placing the negative inside. Mylar is great for storing negatives. Handle with cotton gloves picking up by the edges. Never fold or leave unprotected. Clean negatives with a soft brush, dry ethyl alcohol, anymore than that should be left to professional conservator.

Care of Negatives Avoid :  High humidity.  UV rays (cause gelatine layer to become brittle).  Storing negatives in attics, basements and garages. Cold storage is fine and will help prevent decay.

Care of Photographs

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Prints are sensitive to the same causes of damages as negatives, but also can be damaged by framing materials. Very dry conditions cause the prints to curl and too much humidity cause mould and mildew to form. Direct exposure to UV rays will fade colour photographs quickly; black and white photographs are not as sensitive to fading.

Care of Photographs Improper framing can cause:  Damage to prints if products containing acids and lignin are used against the print.  Masking tape and scotch tape can discolour and stain prints.  Un-matted photos can stick to the glass and get permanently damaged.  Prints need to be framed and matted to museum standards using safe products.

Care of Photographs 

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Prints are best stored in Mylar envelopes or acid free envelopes or acid free boxes. Write descriptions on the envelopes or on the back border of the print with an HB pencil.

Care of Photographs Photo albums are another alternative for storage:  Choose albums that are acid and lignin free.  Avoid self-stick plastic covered pages, which can stain and damage photos.  Sleeves in albums should be made of Mylar or polypropylene.  Acid-free corners can be used to mount prints.  Avoid white glue, rubber cement, scotch or masking tape and staples when mounting prints in photo albums.

Care of Photographs 

Keep prints out of direct light, in a stable environment where the humidity will not have large fluctuations. Store prints in a cool and dry spot avoiding attics, basements and garages.

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Clean prints with a soft brush, if stained consider scanning the image, edit the stain and print on photo paper.

E. Care of Books    

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Careful handling, to protect the book bindings. Use a bookmark instead of turning down a page corner. Turn pages from the top corner and not from the bottom edge, which can cause tears. Avoid using sticky notes or adhesive tapes on bindings. Tape will cause discolouration. A paper conservator can repair tears in paper using Japanese tissue paper. Do not press flowers in books or store acidic newspaper clippings in books because both can cause staining.

Care of Books 

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Carefully photocopy books to protect the spine from cracking. Let one half of the book hang over side while the other side is flat against the copier. Preferred shelving is baked enamel steel that can stand away from an exterior wall and enclosed glass door shelving is good to protect the books from dust. Books should be stored vertically and not overcrowded. Books should be kept dusted with a soft brush or vacuumed. Dust is abrasive, will soil paper and attract pests. Slight surface dirt on paper and cloth bindings may be removed with a white eraser. Spot test the eraser before using.

Care of Books 

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If books get wet mould can begin to grow within 24 hours, the freeze-drying method is preferred, but should be done by a professional. If books are wet, mouldy or infested put them in a plastic zip bag, seal it. If wet in addition to bagging also put in a freezer until the book can be seen by a paper conservator. Consult a professional. Wrap the damaged book in acidfree paper and tie with twill tape until re-binding or conservation treatment can occur.

F. Care of Audio and Visual Sound Recordings Magnetic tapes:  Preservation copying of originals may be the only way to preserve your audio and visual sound recordings. This is done so that the original is not constantly being played. You may also want to upgrade to a more stable technology. For example copying nitrate and acetate film to a more stable magnetic film media.  Best storage temperatures for magnetic tapes are at 8 degrees Celsius with a temperature variance +-2 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity at 25% with a variance of about +-5%, variances should not be exceeding these limits in a 24 hour period. However, it is acceptable to handle tapes with environment temperatures between 18-25 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity at 15-50%. Mould growth will occur with relative humidity above 65%.

Care of Magnetic Tapes Avoid:  Ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light can cause the tapes to breakdown.  Dust and Water. Dust can cause poor playback and water can cause hydrolysis on the surface of the tape. Hydrolysis is when the moisture from the air mixes with the particles on the tape. This can cause data to be permanently lost if particles move away from the surface.  Magnetic sources so that there is no possibility of erasing the magnetic data on the tape. Store in protective cases in a vertical position and not in the player. Air should circulate well around shelving units.

Care of Magnetic Tapes 

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Food and drinks should not be consumed near tapes because these particles can be airborne and land on the surface of the tape sticking to it and damaging the tape. Fungus may be found on tapes, if dry it is powdery and is considered dormant, if fungus smears when rubbed it is considered active. Fungus should be considered toxic and should only be removed by a professional. Inspect tapes for damage or contamination before use and handle tapes with care. Make sure your player is properly aligned and in good condition.

CD and DVD Care 

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Keep your CD and DVD in the coolest area of your home, ideal temperature for the media is at 23 degrees Celsius and at a relative humidity of about 35%-50%. Store in low light and in a vertical position in jewel cases. Read only CDs, CD-RWs have a life expectancy from 5-100 years, CD-Rs however have a life expectancy from 5-200 years depending on storage, handling and manufacturing processes and materials used. Life expectancy for all formats of DVDs are unknown, but are expected to be similar to that of a CD. The media may last, but will the players?

CD and DVD Care 

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The best way to clean your CD or DVD is with compressed air. The second best way is with a soft lint-free cloth wiping in a radial direction from the centre out to the edge. Repairing scratches is not recommended because you will probably cause more damage than good. Handle discs by the centre hole and the edges. Try not to touch the shiny surface.

Recap of Presentation: 

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What is Preservation and Conservation? Why preserve your Family History? What is your Family History? Where can you find your Family History? Who wants to know about your Family History? How to preserve your Family History in different media?

Conclusion: In conclusion, there are so many ways that we can preserve our family history.  Documenting our work  Providing safe storage  Careful handling  Stable temperature and a stable relative humidity are key to preserving our family history. Doing such practices will lengthen the life of our objects  Preventative care is the best form of conservation that we can do!  Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) as a valuable resource for learning how to preserve your family history.  We invite you to discover your family history at the Ottawa Stake Family History Center!

References: 

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Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), Department of Canadian Heritage Canadian Heritage Web site, http://www.preservation.gc.ca Library and Archives Canada, http://www.archives.ca Association of Moving Image Archivists, http://www.amianet.org The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, http://www.familysearch.org David Gratten,“Technical Bulletin 22, The Stability of Photocopied and Laser-printed Documents and Images: General Guidelines”, (Ottawa:Canadian Conservation Institute, 2000).

Canadian Resources on the Web for Archival Supplies: 1.

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Carr McLean at: www.carrmclean.ca Keepsafe Systems at: www.gowncare.com/keepsafe University Products of Canada (Div. of BFB Sales) at: www.universityproducts.com

Thank you 

Thank you for attending this presentation on Family History Preservation and Conservation.

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We hope you have enjoyed your time with us!

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For references and list of Canadian Archival Suppliers you may email your enquiries to: Shirley-Ann Pyefinch at: [email protected]