Newspapers, as important historical documents, are favorites of both amateur and professional preservationists. Whether kept for personal reasons or to reflect monumental events--newspapers falsely declaring Truman's defeat by Dewey in 1948, for example, are valuable collector's items--they require great care and proper equipment in order to survive. Newspaper is made from wood pulp and has high levels of acidity; exposed to air or light, it tends to break down quickly. The steps below will instruct you in how to preserve newspaper and keep it from falling apart, and what precautions to take if you want to store or display a newspaper.
1Unfold the newspaper.
- Because newsprint has lots of acid, keeping pages pressed together encourages acid to spread and break the wood pulp fibers down.
2Remove the newspaper from light.
3Place the newspaper in a shallow, rigid box.
- You want to protect the newspaper from air, light, and pests. Newspaper-specific storage boxes are available from conservation suppliers; however, a simple cardboard or wooden box will do as long as it is acid-free. Boxes and sleeves used for storing film are appropriate.
4Separate newspaper pages using acid-free paper.
- Alkaline buffered tissue, available from conservation suppliers, is the best option. A cheaper alternative is acid-free tissue paper which, while not preventing the spread of acid between pages, does reduce the risk of increasing the acidity of the newspaper.
5Store the newspaper in a dry, dark, cool area.
- Your newspaper storage area should be between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit (or between 15 and 21 degree Celsius). Humidity should be between 40 and 50 percent. There should be no light, natural or otherwise. Places that fluctuate in temperature or acidity, like garages, basements, or attics, are not ideal.
6Display newspapers behind UV-resistant glass.
- If you wish to have the newspaper out of a box, consult a framer for the best type of glass and frame. You will want a backing board that is acid-free, and you will want your glass to block UV light. Remember that when you display newspapers you still need to keep them in dry, dark, cool places.
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- For especially valuable newspapers, it may be advisable to contract the services of a professional conservator. Conservators can remove acid from newspapers and provide top-notch storage equipment; their services, however, will likely run into the hundreds of dollars. Lists of available conservators can be found at the website of the American Institute of Conservation.
- There are products available for de-acidifying old documents, such as Archival Mist spray. However, unless your newspaper is very new, you should always consult a conservator before using such products, as you may unintentionally damage your newspaper in your effort to conserve it.
- Never laminate or apply tape to newspaper. Lamination degrades the newspaper's quality, while tape will destroy the newsprint. If you wish to make a newspaper easily available for handling while protecting it from air, light, and oils from the fingers and hands, place it behind glass.
- Do not attempt to repair tears or holes in your newspaper yourself. Consult a professional conservator for any maintenance work. Because of newspaper's fragility, it is possible to seriously damage the paper by introducing elements with high levels of acidity or other elements that might wear down the newspaper over time.
Things You'll Need
- Shallow, rigid box
- Acid-free tissue paper
- Dry, dark, cool space
Sources and Citations