How to Weed Your Attic: Getting Rid of Junk without Destroying History: Elizabeth H. Dow: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

How to Weed Your Attic

Getting Rid of Junk without Destroying History

How to Weed Your Attic

Getting Rid of Junk without Destroying History

Description

How to Weed Your Attic: Getting Rid of Junk without Destroying History provides answers to the question: when someone dies or it’s time to move --- or just clean out the attic, garage, or basement, what papers and other things should we save for the sake of history and what can we safely toss?

After reading this clearly written book by a retired archivist and a retired museum curator, you can comfortably clean out your attic – or office, garage, basement, cupboards – with confidence that you’re not tossing out historically valuable (or invaluable) things, and that you will not ask your local museum to take things that really belong in a thrift store, junk yard, or recycle center.

The book first describes how to identify historically important documents and artifacts. The authors explain a few simple rules: 1) a complete or long collection has more value than a partial one; 2) emotive material provides a richer picture than factual material; 3) unique usually has more value than mass produced; 4) documents and objects carry more information than they intend to; and 5) a 25-year rule exists without our consciously recognizing it. They then apply the rules and assess the probable historical value of four different types of materials: mass produced (from books to vehicles), individually created (from art work to toys), business materials (from governance documents to uniforms), and commemorative materials (from awards to wedding dresses).

The book includes a brief description of the basics for preserving materials the reader wants to keep and references sources for more detail. It also recognizes that the reader may not want to keep stuff that clearly has historical value. For those readers, the authors describe how to donate materials to a cultural repository. In broad strokes, they explain how repositories differ, what the repository will want to know about the stuff you're offering, where an appraiser and/or tax advisor fits into the process, and what the reader can expect the repository to do and not do. Finally, the book addresses unexpected issues that may arise around questions of legal ownership and privacy. Throughout the book, the authors illustrate their points using photographs and vignettes.

Acknowledgments
Preface
1Why the Things in Your Attic Matter to History
2 General Rules for Making Decisions
3Historical Value: Mass Produced Items
4Historical Value: Individualized Materials
5Historical Value: Corporate Records
6Historical Value: Commemorative Material
7Special Issues
8 Preserving Your Family Objects and Papers
9Donating Your Family Objects and Papers
Index
About the Authors

Product details

Published	Aug 16 2018
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Extent	152
ISBN	9781538115466
Imprint	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Illustrations	38 b/w photos; 51 textboxes
Dimensions	9 x 6 inches
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

This book will be most useful to families that have inherited a large household collection and are faced with the prodigious task of organizing and deciding what to do with it. It provides an overview of what to consider historically when evaluating various papers and objects. The highlighted examples used throughout the book will aid the reader’s understanding while providing interesting historical stories. . . . the authors are to be commended for their effort in trying to help families organize and preserve family history.

Vermont History
Dow and Cockrell’s approach and advice are right on target—no nonsense and frank, focusing on historical significance rather than nostalgia. They provide expert guidance in an accessible, practical format that we can all put to good use in the difficult task of taking care of the accumulations of family life.

James B. Gardner, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution
The significance of How to Weed your Attic lies in its ability to provide a basis for understanding why family history is important and what we can do to prevent its loss. The book offers solid guidance and pragmatic solutions, especially to those who may be unprepared to make decisions about family records and who fear losing family history.

Amy Cooper Cary, Head, Special Collections and University Archives, Raynor Memorial Libraries, Marquette University
How do we organize, prioritize, and thin out the mounds of accumulated papers and materials in our files, office drawers, and attics? Dow and Cockrell offer a clear and concise approach to these pressing concerns. This sensible and structured handbook provides encouraging and straightforward strategies for tasks that can otherwise feel overwhelming. From everyday family mementos and photos to corporate records and ephemera, this handy volume is an excellent resource to guide us through the challenges and find satisfaction in well-organized and thoughtfully selected collections.

Julia Rose, Director and Curator, Homewood Museum at Johns Hopkins University