Tip #34: Never store your news clippings next to other documents.

Written By Dmitri Schmidt

In archives, we talk a lot about acids and bases and how to balance them. (See Tip #4 for more information.) Some of the worst offending materials are newspaper clippings. 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.

But the risk doesn’t just end with the potential loss of information on the newspaper in question. This deterioration can spread by touch to other paper products creating what is called an acid burn stain. To prevent this, newspapers should always be stored with an acid free buffer.

Want to learn more about preventing damage to your collection? Check out our webinars on YouTube!

https://www.youtube.com/@backlogarchivists

#ArchivalTips #BacklogArchivists #Conservation #Preservation

Dmitri Schmidt

Dmitri plays a pivotal role in coordinating Backlog’s outreach efforts. They curate our weekly #FridayFinds and #ArchivalTips social media posts, shedding light on items discovered in our genealogy work and providing tips and tricks to approaching problems in the archives.

Dmitri holds a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology and German Studies from Saint Louis University. During their university years, they dedicated over 1000 hours to interning and volunteering at local St. Louis institutions, including the St. Louis Science Center and the St. Louis University Museum of Art. As the Collections Intern at the Science Center, Dmitri assisted in developing and installing the "Into the Vault" exhibit.

Before joining Backlog, Dmitri served as a Fulbright Grantee, teaching English as a second language in former East Germany. From guiding 11th graders in analyzing pop albums as poetry to discussing the significance of the civil rights movement with 8th graders, they covered a broad spectrum of subjects. While reveling in connecting with students and injecting fun into grammar lessons, Dmitri's deep passion for all things archival eventually drew them back home.

Today, Dmitri works as a Herbarium Assistant at the Missouri Botanical Garden, helping digitize the millions of preserved plant specimens. After being scanned and transcribed, these images aid scholars around the globe in furthering botanical research. Dmitri also serves as the archivist for the Kirkwood Historical Society. They are currently overseeing the “Journeys into Kirkwood’s History” project, which aims to digitize documents related to Kirkwood’s early Black settlements.

Next

Tip #33: Limit handling damage with phase boxes.