Preserve your Obama election/inauguration newspaper keepsakes

Are the newspapers you proudly kept to remember Barack Obama's
historic election as president starting to look a little yellowed or
ragged around the edges? Stop the march of time, and also be ready to
take care of newspaper memorabilia from Obama's inauguration Jan. 20.

Here are some tips from Alison Moore, a librarian at the California
Historical Society, and Susan Goldstein, a San Francisco city
archivist:

-- Store papers in a cool, dry place. Forget putting them in attics
and basements where temperatures and humidity can be extreme.

-- Keep papers away from light. A metal file cabinet or a dark, dry
closet will do.

-- Store newspapers flat and unfolded in archival or acid-free
storage boxes.

-- Place the newspapers in big folders made of acid-free material.
Don't store them loose inside drawers or other containers. Don't pile
anything on top of the folders.

-- Keep newspapers separate from other paper items you're saving.
Newsprint is acidic and can damage other paper.

-- Make copies of the newspaper for everyday use. That way you can
avoid over handling the original.

For more information, see Moore's brochure on how to preserve
newspapers and an assortment of family papers on the Society of
California Archivists' Web site.