Beyond Paper: Scrapbooks

Amy Sherwood, University of Illinois Chicago

Is there anything more eclectic, unique, or imaginative than a scrapbook? Is there any preservation task more challenging? Whether your answer is yes or no, scrapbooks can be both a delightful collection of memorabilia and record-keeping and a preservation nightmare. 

While predecessors of scrapbooks have been around since the printing press, the scrapbook as we envision it emerged in the 19th century. They evolved out of journals and diaries when people began to insert keepsakes like photographs and cards. They frequently include artwork and sketches, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs and brochures, even pressed flowers or locks of hair. 
What makes scrapbooks so unique, the wide variety of materials integrated into a single volume, is what makes them so difficult to preserve. The pages are, more often than not, made of very low-quality paper that become brittle and discolored quickly. The myriad type of materials included, and adhesives used can cause chemical reactions that result in staining and further deterioration. Appropriate preservation methods for one item may be counterproductive for another on the same page. Scrapbooks are often overstuffed, straining or damaging the binding. And as the adhesive ages, the items will come loose from the pages and can be lost.

Many of the preservation standards for scrapbooks are the same for other paper-based materials. Store them in a stable environment, around 65°F and no more than 50% humidity, with little fluctuation. Always keep them in flat archival boxes, never upright, as this will cause items to dislodge and put further strain on the binding. You can wrap them in acid-free paper or loosely tie a soft, unbleached cotton tape around. The pages can be interleaved with acid-free sheets and, if the pages have come completely loose, they can be stored in archival folders. Don’t try to repair a tear unless you are a trained conservator, it will usually cause further damage. If you must reattach items to a page, use a pH neutral acid-free adhesive. Alternatively, you can rehouse them in a pouch or other enclosure that can then simply be stored with the page.

Keep handling to a bare minimum. When necessary, wear disposable plastic gloves or handle photograph edges with freshly washed hands to avoid damaging any photographs.  If the binding is intact, use book supports if you have ones that are large enough to fully support the size. Unfortunately, many scrapbooks must be considered ephemeral, the materials they are made of are simply too prone to deterioration to survive indefinitely. The best course of action is often to digitize the pages with a large-format overhead scanner. This avoids over-handling while still providing access. As the scrapbook ages and continues to degrade, this may eventually be the only copy that survives.

Resources

• Library of Congress Preservation Basics: Preservation of Scrapbooks and Albums
• National Archives Preserving Scrapbooks
• NEDCC Book Conversation and Preservation Resources
• CSUN The History of Scrapbooks

View additional articles in the Beyond Paper Blog Series.