File folders are the basis of any archival collection. They’re not only ideal for storing loose documents together as a unit, but they can also be used to organize newspaper clippings, prints, and even some books.

Newspapers, particularly newspapers printed in the 20th century and beyond, are very acidic. As such, newspaper clippings are prone to brittleness and should be considered high priority for digitization.

Planning on storing books directly on shelves rather than in boxes and folders? Consider using a phase box.

Easier said than done. If you’re supposed to limit handling, how do you respond to research requests? How do you create exhibitions?

That said, if you have to play the record, the state of the turntable matters just as much as everything else we’ve discussed (see Tip #25).

Pop quiz! Name one material you should NOT handle with gloves?

The other week we mentioned you should store your optical media somewhere with a stable and regulated temperature. This is a good general rule for all archival material, but is particularly true for CD-RWs aka rewritable CDs.

CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray. What’s the difference exactly?

If archives were a superhero show, there would be a couple repeat villains. Mechanical damage, heat, light, and today's archnemesis: humidity.

If you were around at the peak of cassettes, then you might have heard that electronics can erase a tape. We’re here to confirm that rumor is true!

If you’ve ever played a record or even just perused a record shop, you’re probably thinking duh.

The other week we talked about a type of degradation that only happens to certain audiovisual (AV) materials, but can you tell your AV materials apart enough to know which?

Paper is one of the most common materials found in archives and personal collections. It’s also one of the most vulnerable. It can fade, tear, mold, or crumble, especially if it’s stored in the wrong environment or handled carelessly. Whether you're preserving family letters, legal records, or historic documents, this guide walks you through the basics of keeping paper in good shape for the long haul.

Books are often some of the most beloved and heavily used items in a personal or institutional collection. Whether you’re caring for a Civil War-era family Bible, a 20th-century community cookbook, or a first edition stored in special collections, books require thoughtful handling and storage. This guide walks through the basics of book preservation so you can keep yours in good shape for years to come.

Photographs are some of the most treasured items in any personal or institutional collection. Whether you're looking at a studio portrait from 1880 or a Polaroid from your childhood, photographs have a way of collapsing time. But they’re also some of the most fragile materials in our care. This guide breaks down practical ways to care for photographs, with an eye toward long-term preservation, whether you’re working with family photos or historical archives.

Audio and visual materials are some of the most fragile formats in our collections. Whether you're managing a community archive, overseeing a museum collection, or simply preserving family memories, it’s important to understand how these materials work and what they need to survive. This guide offers a practical overview of how to handle, store, and preserve physical AV materials, from early wax cylinders to VHS tapes.

Archival collections face all kinds of threats, from mold and bugs to acidic ink and overzealous researchers. Learning how to recognize damage before it spreads is one of the most important skills you can develop when caring for a collection. While not every issue calls for professional conservation, understanding what you’re looking at can help you make better decisions about triage, treatment, and preservation. This blog breaks down common types of damage you’ll encounter and what to do when you spot them.

If you’ve ever inherited a back room full of boxes, tried to answer a research request without knowing what’s in your collection, or found yourself overwhelmed by too many storage decisions and not enough policies, then you’ve probably wished someone could just come in and tell you what to do. That’s what an archival needs assessment is for.

At some point in your metadata journey, especially if you’ve wrangled with Dublin Core or EAD, you may have stumbled across MODS and thought, “That looks nice, but where does it fit?” If you’ve ever tried to make sense of this XML-based schema that promises to be more detailed than Dublin Core but less complicated than MARC, you are not alone

Web archiving can feel intimidating at first. It’s technical, it’s evolving, and the stakes are high. If your institution isn’t saving its web presence, you could lose key records of events, programs, leadership, and community engagement that only ever lived online. This post walks through the basics of how to actually do web archiving, breaking down the tools, steps, and decision-making involved.