January 5, 2011 -- – For the second time, the Library of Congress participated in the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture " Save Our African American Treasures Program (external link)."
Held November 20, 2010 at the Detroit Public Library in Detroit, Mich., the program offered area residents an opportunity to have conservation and preservation experts help identify and preserve items of historical and cultural significance they brought from their homes.
Reviewers examine a quilt during the Treasures program. Credit: Michael Barnes, Smithsonian.
The treasures program is a collections initiative that provides one-on-one professional consultation with experts on how to care for family memorabilia, whether the objects are photographs, quits, clothing or books. The consultants serve as reviewers, not appraisers, and the public can learn how to properly store letters, pack garments and prepare photographs for preservation, storage and presentation. The program also features presentations, hands-on activities and preservation tips.
During the Detroit program, National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program staff member Erin Engle gave a session, "Preserving Your Digital Memories," that focused on how digital photos and other forms of new media are fragile and require special care to keep them useable. The audience was particularly interested in information about how long digital media will last and which types of media are best for long-term preservation.
Other presentations throughout the day focused on preserving clothing and textiles and saving non-digital photos and papers.
The Library recognizes that personal collections no longer encompass only shoeboxes of family photos or cabinets of important papers. Digital forms of our documents, photos and home movies are just as important to keep safe, and tips about preserving your personal digital materials are available.
