Managing the Photos You Already Have

Start with the last roll of film you picked up after it was developed. Don't try to tackle years of photos yet, get the current ones into an album first, and then work back. Work on first getting all of your photos and memorabilia into one place. Look in the garage, attic, drawers, files, closets, old and new albums, frames around your house and letters from family members. If you know that there are family members that have photos you want, now is the time to ask for copies.

Purchase archival quality photo boxes (NOT photo safe) for all your photos. Decide on a negative storage system and buy a negative storage system before you begin. Investigate albums and purchase the album/albums that you will need to start your project. Decide on the type of album(s) that you will be completing. Are you doing one larger family photo album with everyone's photos in it or will you be completing an album for every child? Will you be doing vacation and Christmas albums or will these events go in your family albums? Make these decisions now, before you sort.

Plan an evening of sorting or a month of sorting, depending on your situation, and just sort through all of the old photos and memorabilia. You will sort first by decade and then year by year. If you are sorting for special holiday or vacation albums, keep that in mind as you sort.

Safe Scrapbooks

Scrapbooking is a unique craft/science hybrid. The science of photography is rapidly changing and the longevity of our photos is being increased even as I write this, which is good news. The bad news is that some times it is hard to know what products are safe and which products are not safe for your photos. Most scrapbookers feel that there is more to making a scrapbook than just making cute pages; scrapbookers really want to ensure that they help they photos look good for as long as possible.

In order for your photos to stay looking good, they need to be surrounded by materials that will not accelerate their aging. Many materials that have been used in photo albums in the past were actually damaging to the photos in the albums.

Materials to be Avoided

Material		Type of damage caused
Paper containing acid and/or lignin, or paper that is not pH balanced or buffered		Acid in paper causes the paper itself to deteriorate and the acid also migrates to contribute to the deterioration of photos and memorabilia. Lignin becomes brittle and will cause papers to eventually deteriorate to the point of crumbling.
Unstable paper or materials that are not chemically stable or archival quality		Paper can be acid free at the time of manufacture only to BECOME acidic if it is not buffered to provide chemical stability. Please note that buffering is not meant to stabilize other unsafe items on the scrapbook page, but only to prevent the paper itself from becoming acidic in the future.
Lignin (the material that holds wood cells together)		Paper will turn brown with age. Eventually the paper will crumble and disintegrate.
Adhesives used in magnetic albums and adhesives that are not archival quality		Many adhesives are caustic and will eventually eat away at photos and memorabilia. Acids contained in the adhesives damage the photos they adhere to and can migrate to other items in your scrapbook.
Adhesives that are not permanent (Paper Cement, Rubber Cement, Glue Sticks)		These are not necessarily damaging, but after investing hours of your time and a good amount of money in your scrapbook, you should try and use an adhesive that is permanent. (There are un-safe and safe brands of rubber cements available, but I advise staying away from ALL of these products.)
Photo corners, plastic overlays and pocket pages containing PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride)		The chlorine gas emitted from poly vinyl chloride products causes photos to yellow. Photos may become sticky and may become difficult or impossible to remove later.
Unsafe storage practices This has the potential to do FAR more damage than anything you add to your scrapbooks. You want a moderate temperature and low humidity in your storage area. This will prolong the life of your pictures greatly!		This isn't a material, but it needs to be noted that you can damage your photos by tightening the strap hinge on your albums too tight, which causes the photos to be damaged by pressure; or by letting the strap hinge become too loose, which can cause abrasion. Because of the perils of the strap hinge, many conservationists prefer a three ringed binder. Also, do not store you albums lying down; they should be stored upright in a cool dry place. Do not store your albums on an unsealed wooden shelf (the wooden shelf will contain lignin).
Mixing too many adhesive products in your albums		Even though all the products may be safe, you do not want to mix too many types of adhesives in your album. The result could be a damaging chemical reaction even if the individual products are safe.
Ballpoint pen and felt tip pen inks		Do not use regular inks in your scrapbooks, they can contain solvents. Please use pens that are labeled as acid free, permanent, waterproof and water free.
Products labeled as "photo safe" that are not really safe for photos		There are many reputable products on the market, but there are also companies that are more concerned with making a buck than with the safety of your photos. Look for more than a designation of "photo safe" on a product before you buy it and use it in your albums. If necessary, call the company and ask for more information. Many companies have done ANSI Photographic Activity Testing (PAT) and are willing to share the documented results with you. A reputable company should always be willing to share the results of the testing that has been performed on their products.

Written by Jennia Hart

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