Dear Donia,
How do I preserve newsprint in a scrapbook?
Q. Dear Donia,
I just watched a webinar about preserving scrapbooks, and the presenter recommended interleaving every page of the scrapbook with newsprint with buffered permalife. I have a collection of scrapbooks that are mostly newsprint from the 40's and 50's so I would like to follow the presenter's advice. Would the tissue paper work since it is thinner, or do you think I should use 20-pound paper? Is there is another option? Thanks, Tom
A. Dear Tom,
Interleaving is a common method to prevent acidic paper such as newsprint from damaging other items in the scrapbook. The problem you can run into is if your scrapbook is all news clippings. If you try to interleave the entire scrapbook, you can cause permanent damage to the binding and the book will fall apart.
I would interleave only those pages where newsprint is facing something else such as photographs. That way those items are protected and you won't cause undue stress on the binding. I would use the 20-pound paper primarily since the tissue paper can easily crease and cause problems to the items in contact with the creases. Be sure to get a smooth or calendared paper so there is limited abrasive impact on the items.
I hope this helps.