Preserving Your Letters and Documents

A preservation worker labeling folders
Labeling folders

Letters, documents and photographs give us windows into our past. They carry both the individual stories of our families and the broader historical narrative of local, national and global communities. These simple techniques are an easy and economical method to preserve and prolong the life of your family papers and treasures for generations.

Keep and Preserve Your History

Downloadable brochure (pdf)


Preservation Resources

National Postal Museum Preservation Resources’ page provides a list of suppliers for museum-quality storage options mentioned above as well as articles to help learn more about preserving your collection.

The videos and articles also highlight many of the fascinating projects undertaken by the museum’s preservation department.


Digitizing your Personal Archive

This website by the Library of Congress has recommendations on how to scan your collections, such as letters and photographs, and how to archive your digital files.