Film Storage Tips

Organization

Before presenting your memories to be scanned, here are some tips to help with keeping your treasured memories organized:

• Labels: Having your treasure cases labeled ensures that the videos, pictures, and audio scanned from them can have matching titles, which helps to know which file came from which memories!

• Grouping: Having your treasures in organized groups - like years, events, and/or people - can make it easier to look for a specific memory later on!

• "If found, please return to...": 

Storage

Your memories are priceless, so here's some advice for safely stowing your trove of filmed memories:

• Cool and Dry: Like with many cases for preservation, you'll want to try and keep your treasures cool and dry while stowed away. According to the 40-40 rule: "40% relative humidity and 40 degrees Fahrenheit" is the ideal sweet spot. This doesn't mean you have to stick it all inside your refrigerator, however! Sometimes things get brittle and more easily snapped when they're too cold!

• Breathe: Moist air can be a big troublemaker if it gets trapped in an airtight space with your treasures! In humid areas, try to store your memories in something that allows airflow. In dry areas, like Utah, this is less of an issue, but keep this in mind if you take your treasures to humid places!

• Avoid sunlight: If sunlight - or, potentially, other bright lights - poke into your trove, the light can gradually cause the images on exposed film to fade. Sunlight can also cause the storage space to get warmer - which we've pointed out as potential trouble for your memories!