Preserving Memories: Maintaining Family Photos, Personal Papers, and Memorabilia

Every day, families lose their valued items to neglect, mishandling and misplacement. Your attentive care can ensure their security. This one and a half hour presentation is designed to help individuals care for their family photos, personal papers, and memorabilia.

• Learn the basics about avoiding harmful factors that can harm or destroy your materials.
• Explore the best ways to ensure that your family history is documented and maintained for future generations.
• Discuss options for duplication, digitization and conservation of cherished family items.
• Consider your family's role in a wider community history

For smaller workshops with twenty people or less, attendees are invited to bring personal papers and photos for which they need help caring. The presentation takes on an "Antiques Roadshow" atmosphere with people sharing stories about treasured items.

A lecture format for larger groups is now available. Melissa shares her own personal items and "antique shop" finds to demonstrate how to care for personal papers, ephemera and memorabilia.

Contact Melissa for information about running workshops for your institution or organization.

Links to useful information for preserving personal archives:

• Preserving Archives and Personal Papers
• Telling Your Story: Organizing Personal Papers
• My Stuff, My Life: Archives ‐ What should I keep?
• Disaster Planning
• ArchivesInfo Articles from Bedford Bulletin and other printed sources

See "personal papers" and "preservation" on ArchivesInfo Links to Further Assistance page for more resources on securing family and community archives.

Praise for the "Preserving Memories" program from attendees:

• "It should have been longer. I felt like we could have been here all night. It was so interesting!"
• "Melissa did an excellent job at making us all feel comfortable in asking questions and this is helpful for people who are in a room full of strangers"
• "I enjoyed the personal one-on-one regarding each topic presented."
• "Audience participation went well. I worry when I do a presentation about going into too many tangents, but Melissa tied it together well and had the expertise to field all our questions."
• "I liked the round table discussions best. Fantastic items brought by participants!"
• "Thank you again for taking the time to come in and work with the residents as they found it very informative and interesting. Many residents were sorry they missed it for one reason or another and were asking if you would be interested in coming back maybe in the Spring or early Summer. You are always welcome and I appreciate the follow up work you have done as I will make sure to print this out for the residents." - Nancy Geiger, Enrichment Coordinator, Birch Heights Retirement Community

Thank you to the following institutions for hosting the "Preserving Memories" program to date!

• Bedford Public Library, Bedford, New Hampshire
• Birch Heights Retirement Community, Derry, New Hampshire
• Derry Public Library, Derry, New Hampshire
• Hampstead Public Library, Hampstead, New Hampshire
• Milford Historical Society, Milford, New Hampshire
• Portsmouth Public Library, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
• Rivier College - Rivier Institute for Senior Education
• Waltham Public Library, Waltham, Massachusetts
• Wenham Museum, Wenham, Massachusetts

Join ArchivesInfo in its mission to treasure cultural heritage. Become a "Cultural Heritage Collaborator" and work to identify and care for historical documentation that tells about our communities and our society.