How do you preserve War letters?

How do you preserve War letters?

The Archive Lady: How to Preserve Civil War Letters?

1. Take each letter out of its envelope.
2. Scan or digitize the letters and envelopes.
3. Purchase archival sleeves that have passed the P.A.T.
4. Purchase archival file folders that have passed the P.A.T. to file the letters.

How do you preserve historical letters?

Consider placing your letters and documents in acid-free envelopes, crystal clear bags, or pocket pages, all of which will keep delicate papers from being exposed to harmful dust, moisture and household pollutants. You can place them in elegant three-ring binders and slipcases if they are in archival binder pages.

How can we preserve letters in WWII?

Preserving your old letters

1. Prep your workspace. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands.
2. Unfold and remove any bindings. Remove any staples, paper clips, or any other metal attaching papers together.
3. Scan or take photos of every page, including the envelope.
4. Place in your archival storage.
5. Store properly.
6. Other tips.

How do you preserve old papers?

Caring for Your Paper Documents

1. Store papers in a cool, dry, dark environment.
2. Heat and humidity can cause paper to become brittle or moldy, and light can cause fading or yellowing.
3. Store papers in archival containers.
4. Boxes, paper sleeves, folders, or mats should always be preservation quality.

Should I save old letters?

Those old letters in your genealogy records collection should be preserved for future generations. Whether you have 100 letters or just one, they are important to your family history and add to your family story. Some you may have in your collection could include war letters.

Should you laminate old letters?

Lamination is not considered a safe conservation technique because the process may potentially damage a document due to high heat and pressure during application. Moreover, the laminating materials themselves may be chemically unstable and contribute even more to the deterioration of the document.

How do I store keepsake letters?

If you decide to store your letters and cards in a closet, a plastic bin or a canvas lidded box would work well or even an archival safe paperboard box. A more decorative container would work well in a living or public space like your family room, den or even your bedroom.

What do you do with very old letters?

The easiest way to store old letters is to unfold them and keep them in a page protector. Then, store the page protectors in a three-ringed binder and store the binder in a “slipcase”, which is a holder for the binder. Then, be sure to store the binders in a room in your home that is not too dusty or humid.

What do I do with old letters?

What to Do With Old Cards & Letters

1. Scan & store them on your computer.
2. Tuck them in your scrapbook or journal.
3. Keep them so you can one day give them back to the writer.
4. Repurpose them into tags & gift cards.
5. Repurpose them into scrapbook & journal embellishments.
6. Repurpose card tops into postcards.
7. Donate card tops.

What should I do with old letters?

For cards and letters you want to keep:

1. Scan & store them on your computer.
2. Tuck them in your scrapbook or journal.
3. Keep them so you can one day give them back to the writer.
4. Repurpose them into tags & gift cards.
5. Repurpose them into scrapbook & journal embellishments.
6. Repurpose card tops into postcards.

How do you preserve fragile paper?

Archival folders and heavy archival plastic sleeves help support fragile documents. Acid-free sheet protectors are suitable, but don’t are too flimsy to add support. All materials should be archival quality acid-free, lignin-free paper or plastics that have passed the Photographic Activity Test.

How do you preserve old pictures and letters?

Its experts suggest storing your prints and papers in cool temperatures (about 73 degrees or below), and 30 to 40 percent relative humidity. The best storage spaces are also ventilated and have minimal air pollution.

Should you keep old letters?

If you feel you’re lying to yourself a bit, then maybe you should reconsider your answer.” “Old love letters seem to serve a purpose to remind a person why they were attractive or desired by a past person. They’re beautiful and sentimental but there is no value but to remind you about a highlight in your life.

Should you save old letters?

How to preserve old letters?

Here are some simple steps to preserve the old letters that you may have. 1. Arrange letters chronologically. You can go by the date on the letter itself or by the postmark date on the envelope.

Where to send copies of war letters?

The columnist asked readers to send copies of war letters to a post office box in Washington, D.C. Four days later, the post office called Carroll: There were bins of letters everywhere. Many people had sent original family heirlooms to a stranger they knew only through Dear Abby.

How can I organize my old letters?

If you have groups of letters from different events such as WWII letters, college letters, or vacation letters, you could group them together and then organize each grouping by date. (Courtesy Houston County, TN. Archives.) Old letters like these need careful preservation. 2. Unfold old letters.

How do you encapsulate old letters?

Encapsulate the old letters. The term encapsulates means “to enclose something or to completely cover something.” Now that you have unfolded and flattened your letters, you will want to encapsulate them in archival safe sleeves that can be purchased at any online archival supply store.