Family Treasures: Handling Paper, Photographs, Documents, and Old Books

My husband, Keith, and I were fortunate enough to be able to see an exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls at the San Diego Natural History Museum earlier this week. One of the videos that we saw showed early researchers unrolling the scrolls with their bare hands. I almost shrieked at the sight. How should documents, old books, photographs and paper be handled?

Handling Paper, Documents, and Photographs

Most of us have family history of one sort or another on paper, whether the paper is in the form of letters, photographs, or documents. Most of us are aware that as paper ages, the paper can turn yellow and become brittle. This is due to exposure to light and heat. However, our hands can also have an impact on the condition of paper.

While this may not be apparent at first thought, our hands are actually covered with dirt, bacteria, sweat, and oils. These materials can not only contribute to the degeneration of paper in and of themselves, the materials can attract other contaminants. If you are going to handle old family documents, either wash and dry your hands thoroughly before touching the paper or wear clean white cotton gloves. If you choose to use gloves, handle your paper with even more care than usual because you will not have as much sensitivity as you would with bare hands.

More Tips for Handling Paper, Documents, and Photographs

Handling Old Books

The same care should be taken with your hands when looking at old books as when looking at family documents. Wash your hands or wear white cotton gloves before you handle the books.

One of the main focuses of problems with old books is bindings. Sometimes bindings become stiff or break over time. Do not force a book open. Use a book cradles or pads to support the sides of the books rather than opening the books flat. If necessary, open the covers as far as the covers will go easily and peek in to read the material. Don’t make a book do what it can no longer do. If the book’s binding is already broken, treat the book with the same respect to prevent further damage.

Your family treasures should be handled as if they were literally invaluable. Once gone, you will not be able to replace the originals, so handle with care.