Resources

This is an ever-growing list of resources for archiving and preservation. 

*Remember* that the guidelines in these resources are for best-case scenarios! The way you archive is dependent on your time, money and the nature of what you're preserving– and that's okay! 

Archiving Basics

• Archives Canada Resources 

Archiving Photographs, Scrapbooks, Books, and Paper

• Preservation Measures for Scrapbooks and Albums

• Preservation Measures for Books

• Graphics Atlas

  • "...presents a unique, object-based approach for the identification and characterization of prints and photographs."

Archiving Audiovisual Materials

• Library of Congress- Preserving Audiovisual Materials

Community Archiving

• Preservation Housekeeping for Heritage Sites and Small Museums – a self-paced online course

• Arizona State Community-Driven Archives Initiative

Film Preservation

Preserving Oral History

• Oral History Association: Archiving Oral History- Best Practices

• UCI Libraries: Oral History Toolkit

Object Conservation

• National Parks Service Conservogram

  • "Short, focused leaflets about caring for museum objects, published in loose-leaf format"

Other Organizations and Books

This is a list of other organizations and books that offer resources or focus on the same kind of work.

Other Organizations

• Archive/Counter-Archive

  • "Archive/Counter-Archive is a project and research network dedicated to activating and preserving audiovisual archives created by Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis, Inuit), Black communities and People of Colour, women, LGBT2Q+ and immigrant communities. Political, resistant, and community-based, counter-archives disrupt conventional narratives and enrich our histories."

• The Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York, Inc.

  • "A not-for-profit organization with a mandate to educate the public about the legal, historical and cultural value of public and private archives and manuscript collections, to provide a forum where members of the archival community can discuss issues of professional concern, to promote professional development through workshops and other professional education opportunities, and to advocate the preservation and use of historical materials."

• Backlog Archivists and Historians

  • "Backlog is a St. Louis-based consultancy that guides individuals and organizations in understanding, preserving, and celebrating their rich histories."

• Community Archiving Workshop

  • "Community Archiving Workshop (CAW) is a volunteer-organized workshop sponsored by the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA). CAW supports organizations wishing to jumpstart the preservation of their audiovisual collections.  While anyone can hold a workshop or use the CAW models, current CAW project focus on under-represented and geographically isolated collections.

• Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)

  • "a non-profit conservation center devoted to the conservation and preservation of paper based materials"

• Project Stand

  • "Project STAND is a radical grassroots archival consortia project between colleges and universities around the country; to create a centralized digital space highlighting analog and digital collections emphasizing student activism in marginalized communities."

Books

• Saving Stuff by Don Williams

  • "For both the serious collector and the sometimes sentimentalist, Saving Stuff explains -- in plain language -- how you can use the techniques of museum professionals to keep your prized possessions in mint condition."

Web Archiving