On Saturday, March 8, librarians from the UCLA William Andrews Clark Memorial Library partnered with conservators from the UCLA Library Preservation & Conservation Department to lead “Preserving Your Family History,” a workshop designed to teach members of the Los Angeles community to care for their paper-based family heirlooms. Participants brought their photographs, photo albums, scrapbooks, books, documents, and artworks as part of an instructional display that included materials from the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library collection, like the 1925 marriage license of artist Paul Landacre (1893–1963) and his wife Margaret Landacre (1891–1963). Attendees shared a variety of materials, including Union discharge papers from the U.S. Civil War, a passport used to escape Germany in the 1930s, family photos from pre-World War II Poland, and comic books from the 1950s.
The event began with a talk by Nicole Alvarado, Book & Paper Conservator at the UCLA Library, and Kimi Taira, Post-Graduate Preventative Conservator at the UCLA Library, on how to house and handle paper heirlooms. Alvarado and Taira covered topics like humidity control, mylar sleeves, fire protection, removing mold, and more. Then, Rebecca Fenning Marschall, the Clark Library’s Manuscripts & Archives Librarian, and Ikumi Crocoll, the Clark Library’s Instruction and Engagement Librarian, discussed tips on how to conduct family research using different resources such as the Los Angeles Public History & Genealogy Department and FamilySearch, and dating one’s items using databases like Stamp Boxes for Real Photo Vintage Postcards on playle.com. During our breaks and Q&A sessions, participants were encouraged to seek advice from our conservators and browse the materials that others contributed to the instructional display. The event was a resounding success and sparked meaningful discussions about not only protecting one’s heirlooms but celebrating them.
-Mal Meisels (they/them), Instruction and Engagement Fellow