Protecting Important Family Documents

What are Important Family Documents and Why Do We Need to Preserve Them?

Important family documents are collections of papers, records, and other materials that are essential to the family’s financial and legal well-being. These documents include birth certificates, marriage certificates, death certificates, wills, deeds and indentures, insurance policies, bank statements and more.

Protecting these important family documents is essential for preserving the legacy of a family. It is important to keep them secure from theft or damage so that future generations can access them if necessary. Additionally, having access to these documents can help protect the financial security of a family by ensuring their assets are properly documented and accounted for. Having copies of these documents in multiple secure locations can also ensure that they will be accessible when needed.

Do you have a collection of genealogical documents, such as birth certificates, diplomas, marriage licenses, maps, family bibles, journals, scrapbooks or other paper-based genealogical materials that require safekeeping?

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Here are some basic storage guidelines to help protect your valuables:

1. Store your belongings in a climate-controlled environment, between 50-70 degrees Farenheit.  The ideal relative humidity range for paper-based items is 30-50%.  Purchase a hygrometer to monitor RH fluctuations throughout the days and seasons.  Do not store your belongings in attics or basements, as these areas of the house typically fall outside the desired RH and temperature ranges.
2. Store items out of direct sunlight.  A cool, dark environment is preferable, but if your items are exposed to lights or on display, LED lighting is ideal.  Avoid exposure to direct sunlight.
3. Purchase Mylar sleeves or acid free paper folders or boxes to house your items.  For supplies, see:  www.gaylord.com or www.universityproducts.com.
4. Do you have damaged items that require preservation?  Submit an inquiry via the contact form to request an evaluation.

Protecting important family documents and valuables is essential to preserve your family’s history & legacy for your loved ones. The following guide will provide you with the information you need to secure your most valuable possessions and keep them safe from harm’s way. We’ll cover topics such as safeguarding digital documents, storing physical documents, and creating an emergency plan. By following these steps, you can rest assured that your family’s important documents and valuables are well-protected.

5 Steps for Storing & Organizing Family Documents Safely

Having all your important family documents in one place can help make life easier, but it is also important to store and organize them safely. Here are five steps you can take to ensure that your family documents are secure and organized. First, create a filing system for each document type that is clearly labelled and categorized.  This will make it easier to locate the documents you need when you need them. Second, use a secure storage method such as a safe that only trusted family members have access to.  It would also be worthwhile to consider having the documents scanned and stored on an external hard drive, or saved securely on the cloud.   Third, create a list of all the documents you have stored and keep it updated regularly. Finally, set up password protection for any digital files or accounts so that only authorized users can access them. By following these steps, you can ensure that your family documents remain safe and organized in the future.  Storage of physical documents should be in archival folders or polyester film sleeves.  Documents must be stored in climate controlled environments only, with a relative humidity of less than 50% to prevent mold growth.  Do not store documents in attics or basements where major fluctuations in temperature and humidity can cause damage.

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Insurance Options & Other Methods to Protect Your Valuables

Protecting your valuables is an important part of financial planning. Taking steps to protect your valuables provides you with the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your most treasured possessions are protected in the event of theft, damage, or loss. It’s a good idea to contact your the insurance company that handles your home owner’s insurance, as they often offer options to help you cover valuable assets such as fine art, antique furniture and jewelry.

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The Benefits of Digitizing Your Important Documents

The option to digitize your important documents is becoming increasingly popular as it offers a variety of benefits. By digitizing your documents, you can access them from anywhere, quickly search for information within them, and easily share them with others. Additionally, digitizing your documents allows you to store them securely in the cloud and ensure you have a digital backup in the event of physical damage or loss to the original.

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Online Security for Digital Documents & How to Ensure Document Safety

As the digital world continues to expand, it is more important than ever to ensure that our documents remain secure. Online security for digital documents is a growing concern as hackers become more sophisticated and cyber-attacks increase. This article will discuss how to protect your documents from cyber-attacks and ensure their safety in the digital age. We will look at various methods of document security, such as encryption, two-factor authentication, and data loss prevention (DLP) technologies. We will also discuss the use cases of these technologies and how they can be used to protect both personal and business documents from malicious actors. Finally, we will explore some best practices for keeping your documents safe online.

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Conclusion: Taking the Necessary Steps to Securely Protect Family Documents

It is essential to take the necessary steps to protect family documents from unauthorized access and potential theft.  Taking the time to follow the above steps to ensure that family documents are securely stored and protected from any malicious activity is well worth the additional effort. It will give you peace of mind and could very well prevent the loss of your family history & genealogical records.

At Kelsey National Book and Paper Conservation, we offer a full range of services to assist our clients with preserving their works of art on paper, manuscript & document collections, vellum & parchment artifacts, and bound volumes.  These may include lithographs, serigraphs, mezzotint, aquatint, engravings, acrylic paintings, watercolor paintings, gouache paintings, pencil & ink drawings, historical documents, vellum scrolls & manuscripts, rare antique & vintage books, family bibles, and more.

We serve clients nationwide, including areas such as: 

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