• Preserving Our History
• What Should We Keep in Our Archives?
• How do we Store Books?
• How do we Preserve Photos?
• How do we Preserve Printed Materials?

The heart of a company’s memory is its records as a unique testimony to its history, milestones and achievements. Documents also prove invaluable for future administrative, legal, fiscal, and public relations purposes for the local community and our industry as a whole.

Historically, records gain long-term value as a significant historical reference for changes in business practices, management techniques, workplace environments, employee benefits, product design, marketing, merchandising and general societal trends.

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Broyhill Furniture Sales Meeting

Inactive records of interest include those that best illustrate the purpose, activities and policies of your organization over time. Documentation which should be preserved for historical and administrative research includes:

• Architectural records (corporate and plant layout and design, expansions projects, etc.)
• Articles of incorporation, charters, by-laws (detailing the company’s founding and constitutional changes, etc.)
• Audio and video recordings (oral histories, meetings, presentations, etc.)
• Budgets (annual, for significant projects or campaigns, etc.)
• Company histories (written accounts, timelines, biographical information on founders, key executives, etc.)
• Correspondence of officers (communications on important issues and core company activity, etc.)
• Financial statements (audit reports, annual accounts, stock materials, tax materials, papers with key financial information, etc.)
• Handbooks (record of terms and conditions, employee guidelines and benefits, etc.)
• Legal documents (mergers, patents, licensing agreements, etc.)
• Marketing and advertising materials (ad campaigns, catalogs, pamphlets, brochures, fliers, etc.)
• Memoranda (messages to investors, consumers, and employees, etc.)
• Minutes of meetings (detailing key actions and decisions, etc.)
• Film and video tape
• News clippings
• Newsletters and other publications (internal communications)
• Photographs (of key staff, of employee social events, visual record of company property, etc.)
• Personal memorabilia (belonging to directors, general employees or family members…. especially for family businesses)
• Planning documents (operating plans, especially showing commercial activity)
• Press releases of major events or product introductions
• Key reports (annual, committee, departmental, etc.)
• Speeches of major events
• Artifacts (works of art, antiques, publications, memorabilia, etc.)

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Harden Army Navy Visit, 1944

Care, Handling, and Storage of Books

• Place similar sized books, next to each other on a book shelf vertically, packing them neither too loosely or tightly. This will help to prevent warping of a tall book next to a short book.
• Avoid direct sunlight. A large ultraviolet (UV) component fades leather and cloth.
• Dust, dirt and grime from handling can adversely affect books and printed materials.
• If a book will not lay flat, do not force it to open further. The covers should always be supported when the book is open.
• The use of paper clips and marking pens to make notations should be discouraged since clips will rust or crimp the pages and pens often bleed through the paper, obscuring text. The folding down of page corners is also damaging as it will often cause the page corner to break off over time.
• The practice of using rubber bands or string to tie-up a book should be avoided because both will cut into brittle pages and damage fragile covers. A flat, soft ribbon (such as cotton twill tape), can be used to tie up the books as an immediate and temporary solution. An excellent way to protect fragile books is with a box that is custom made to the dimensions of the book.

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Simmons Woven Wire Mattress Factory

Caring for a Photographic Collection

Preventing deterioration:

• Relative humidity is the single most important factor in preserving most photographic materials. Relative humidity levels above 60% will accelerate deterioration. Low and fluctuating humidity may also damage them. Conditions of around 68°F and 30-40% relative humidity are appropriate and easiest to maintain in enclosed areas. High temperatures and high relative humidity levels will accelerate deterioration.
• Exposure to visible and ultraviolet (UV) light is potentially damaging to photographs. Light can cause embrittlement, yellowing and color fading in prints and hand-colored surfaces.
• Atmospheric pollutants, particularly sulfur compounds, will cause black and white images to fade and discolor. Gas by-products given off by fresh paint fumes, plywood, deteriorated cardboard and many cleaning supplies may cause accelerated image deterioration. Storage in non-acidic containers is recommended.
• Handling photographic materials: Avoid touching fragile photographic materials; salts in human perspiration may damage surfaces. Wear clean cotton gloves if possible when handling negatives and prints.

Storage of photographic materials:

• House photos in protective enclosures to keep out gritty dirt and dust which can abrade images, retain moisture, and deposit contaminates. Avoid and/or remove materials such as acidic paper or cardboard, rubber bands, paper clips, and pressure-sensitive tapes and rubber cement.
• Paper enclosures must be acid-free.
• Prints of historic value should be matted with acid-free rag or museum board for protection. Adhesives should not touch the print.
• Store all prints and negatives that are matted or placed in paper or plastic enclosures in acid-free boxes.

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Stanley History, 1920s

Preserving Works on Paper

Relative humidity and temperature:

• Store paper materials in dark, cool, relatively dry locations. Aim for 35% relative humidity and below 72°F. Avoid light, heat and dampness. Maintaining steady temperature and relative humidity is preferable over conditions that cycle up and down. Inside walls are drier than outside walls, where moisture can collect.

Lighting:

• Most paper items are susceptible to damage from ultraviolet (UV) and visible light. UV radiation, which is emitted by the sun and fluorescent bulbs, is particularly damaging to paper items. The intensity and length of exposure to visible light in paper items should be reduced as much as possible.

Pollution, dust, and pests:

• Paper materials should be protected from dust and dirt. Monitor for evidence of rodents and insects, such as silver fish, book lice and book worms, which can eat, soil and damage paper; good housekeeping and environmental conditions will help reduce the threat of these pests.

Storage:

• It is best to store paper items flat, rather than folding and unfolding, which can lead to creases and tears.
• Paper materials may be stored in acid-free alkaline folders, polyester film folders or alkaline mats. Alkaline paper or board provides a desirable neutralizing effect on acidity. The stiffness of the storage folder or box should provide adequate support to the item(s) in storage and transport. Since acidity migrates, acidic storage materials should be avoided, and highly acidic materials, such as newspapers or telegrams should be isolated to avoid acid migration.

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