Have a box of vintage family photos you’re afraid will crumble to dust? How about love letters from the Civil War? Or great-granny’s quilt from the pioneer days? Do you have any idea how to make sure they’ll survive this century and head into the 22nd?

A local consortium of historical preservationists is teaming with visiting authorities to present “Preserving Your Family Treasures: Ask the Expert,” 5-8 p.m. Thursday at The Roosevelt Ballroom, 400 Austin Ave.

The preservationists are hosting the a free, public clinic to highlight issues surrounding the safeguarding of cultural heritage and information resources, according to Eric Ames, co-chairman of the event.

The pages of this book are still bound together, but the cover has become detached. Proper storage in an archival box or repair by a trained conservator are possible options.
Baylor University Electronic Library

His employer, Baylor University, is co-sponsoring the clinic with the Library of Congress, Texas Historical Commission, the Waco Historic Landmark Preservation Commission and the Waco-McLennan County Library.

Bringing items

People from the surrounding area are being asked to bring their family heirlooms — such as Bibles, daguerreotype photos, cross-stitch samplers of the 18th century — that they may have always wondered how best to store, preserve or restore. The sponsoring entities will have experts on hand to answer questions, Ames said.

For instance, an expert on textiles from the Historic Waco Foundation will address how to preserve antique wedding dresses (out of sunlight, off hangers and folded neatly between layers of clean muslin cloth in a box of acid-free lining to keep out moths).

Stephen Sloan, director of the Oral History department at Baylor, will give instructions on how to take a formal interview from friends and relatives who have witnessed or lived through significant historical events, such as the Waco tornado of May 11, 1953, or war experiences.

An expert in architectural history will discuss the process for registering a home as a historical landmark and offer advice on how to restore structures with period-appropriate materials.

Stephen Bolech of Baylor’s Crouch Fine Arts Library will advise on the audio digitizing of sound recordings. Still other experts will speak about photo digitizing, preserving letters and other paper items, architectural elements, genealogy and historic city landmarks.

No appraisals

This is not an appraisal event, Ames said. Nor can every antique be hauled into the Roosevelt Ballroom to present to an expert for advice.

For example, firearms or weapons of any kind — including swords or cannonballs — are not allowed, for safety reasons.

“We don’t want anyone to get hurt, and we don’t want to panic anyone,” Ames said.

Although there will be examples of materials offered by specialized vendors at the show, Ames said, there will not be any merchants on-site Thursday.

“We really wanted to make this an expert-based event, not a ‘Hey, buy my stuff’ event,” he added.

The event also will feature a lecture at 6:30 p.m. by Jeanne Drewes, Chief of the Binding and Collection Care Division in the Preservation Directorate at the Library of Congress.

The former Waco-area resident who worked at the Baylor library is an expert on collections care and disaster planning for libraries and museums, Ames said. She will speak on preserving family treasures and on the Library of Congress.

Besides his duties as digital collections consultant for Baylor University, Ames also serves on the Waco Historic Landmark Preservation Commission.

That entity is preparing to honor several people and entities during a reception at an invitation-only event May 20 at The Art Center of Waco.

Preservation focus

May is National Preservation Month, said Ames, author of “Images of America: Waco,” by Arcadia Publishing.

The American Library Association, in conjunction with the Library of Congress, is working with communities around the country to celebrate the theme Pass it On: Saving Heritage and Memories.

The month’s activities are meant to highlight the role that everyone plays in preserving a community’s cultural memory, with an eye toward informing future generations.

Beth Tice, exhibit coordinator for libraries at Baylor University, is co-chair of the preservation clinic. She was in contact with Drewes recently, who mentioned that the Library of Congress was looking for cities of Waco’s size to partner with for preservation events.

The organizers said they hope the preservation clinic can become a yearly event.

For more information on “Preserving Your Family Treasures: Ask the Expert,” contact Eric Ames, eric_ames@baylor.edu, 710-1576; or Beth Tice, beth_tice@baylor.edu, 710-3679.