Debbie Hollis' family photo
Photograph provided by Head of Instruction & Outreach Deborah Hollis
Jennifer Sanchez
Photograph provided by Photographic Archivist Jennifer Sanchez
David Hays
Photograph provided by Archivist II David Hays
Kalyani One year old
Kalyani Fernando collection development archivist at age 1.
Published: Oct. 29, 2020

From childhood photos to letters from a loved one, there’s nothing worse than losing access to personal or family memorabilia. 

That’s why, as part of American Archives Month, archivists with the University Libraries wanted to share tips and tricks on how you can care for and preserve your own personal and family archives. 

The new Archiving Your Story guide from the University Libraries’ Collections of Distinction team features tips on how to care for both print and digital archives, including photographs, papers, books, media, objects, oral histories and more. It also offers tips on how to protect your digital files and how to digitize physical items like home movies.

“As we continue to practice social distancing, I think being separated from our friends and families makes all of us cherish the memories and keepsakes we have, from scrapbooks to cellphone videos,” said Jamie Wagner, moving image archivist with the libraries. 

On top of that, we’re living through a monumental moment in history, and some CU student archivists have chosen to share in real-time and virtually how COVID-19 is affecting their personal and family lives with the libraries’ Documenting Community, 2020 project. 

“I hope everyone understands how the photos, diaries, and stories of their lives now are going to be really significant historical evidence of this period in the future,” said Wagner.

We hope you find this guide helpful in caring for and preserving your memories.