Image above: Diane M. Henderson Collection (AFC/2001/001/11706), Photographs, Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress
Many keepsakes are important to the military and their families.
Get started with the Quick Preservation Tips (PDF) and Quick Preservation Tips for Military Families (PDF)
Explore resources on our Preserve Your Treasures pages, which provide general preservation resources, and more specific tips to help you preserve textiles, photographs, digital photographs, and other digital materials, including audio and video recordings, email, and social media.
Items for Military Families to Save
Texts/SMS
Applications and tools continue to be developed for archiving the many forms of social media we use to communicate. The Library of Congress’s digital preservation blog, The Signal, presents this helpful post: Archiving Cell Phone Messages, by Mike Ashenfelder. Remember to make multiple copies of all electronic records you want to preserve!
Facebook now offers a feature for downloading your Facebook page content. Other applications that help archive any personal website are described on our Digital Preservation page. Scroll down to “Social Media/Websites.” Remember to make multiple copies of all electronic records you want to preserve!
Skype
Vodburner is an application that allows you to download your Skype conversations to your computer’s hard drive. Remember to make multiple copies of all electronic records you want to preserve!
Uniforms and Other Textiles
The following resources describe how to care for fabric components of medals, uniforms, badges, insignia, hats, and flags.
Caring For Your Treasures: Textiles
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
Flat Storage for Textiles
Canadian Conservation Institute
Medals
The following resources describe how to care for metal objects like medals, buckles, personal identification tags, and swords.
AIC: How to Protect Your Metal Objects
American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
Safely Display Your Memorabilia
It is important to take certain precautions when displaying keepsakes to reduce exposure to light, humidity, and extreme temperatures. Additionally, preservation quality framing materials must be used.
Preservation Guidelines for Matting and Framing
Library of Congress
Conservation Framing of Embroideries and Other Flat Textiles
Canadian Conservation Institute