Now that you're unstuck...
During the Archive's Month coverage, we sent out our first video describing how to remove photographs from magnetic, or "sticky," album. As a follow-up to that, we brought back Smithsonian Archives’ Conservation Fellow, Anna, to advise us on how to store photos once they're removed from the albums. This is part of an ongoing series we coined, "Preserving Your Treasures," which will show you some of the techniques we use here at the Archives to preserve and organize the collections of the Smithsonian. Enjoy! For resources on archival materials, visit the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute website.
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I was at the Container Store yesterday, and they have metal-edge archival boxes for sale there in photo sizes, so you don't even have to go to Hollinger or any commercial supplier like that...
Yes, indeed some home organization, art, photography and craft hobby shops are starting to carry archival supplies from the same manufacturers that we purchase from directly. Its lovely to have this convenience, but people should feel free to ask about the source and materials used in the products that are listed as "archival". They also sell "acid-free tape" for use with photographs, which we would not recommend, because acid is not the only problem we find with tape. Also, home/craft type vendors may change their source and options at anytime, more so than a dedicated archival producer or supplier. Specifically, do ask if the boxes are lignin and acid free, and do they pass the Photograph Activity Test (for those boxes destined for photos). More often than not, the manager will be glad to show you the product information sheet or point you to the supplier.
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