If an actual ancestral scrapbook comes into your possession, you'll want to preserve it for future generations to enjoy. The steps to preserving old scrapbooks depend on the materials used to create them. Unless they were assembled before paper was made from wood pulp (circa 1865), the pages are going to be extremely brittle and yellowed because of the acid and lignin contained in the paper. Lignin is the same substance that turns newspaper yellow. Adhesives used to paste items on the page can also deteriorate, so pieces start falling out of the album.

The most expensive solution is to consult a paper conservator. A free list of conservators in your area is available from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works aic.stanford.edu. A conservator can stabilize the damage and stop the deterioration. A less-expensive solution is to purchase acid- and lignin-free papers from suppliers (see the box on the previous page) that can help you preserve the scrapbooks by storing them in boxes with reinforced corners and interleaving the pages with acid- and lignin-free papers.

Here are a few tips to save your ancestral scrapbooks:

• Handle carefully. The fragility of the paper and the scraps means that you can unintentionally break off pieces of the album pages. Loose fragments can also float out of the album, so be sure to brace the spine of the book when you open it, and turn the pages slowly.
• Store in a stable environment. Changes in temperature and humidity can affect the life of an album. The rate of deterioration directly relates to heat and moisture. Store your scrapbooks like photographs, in a windowless closet in special storage containers.
• Pick safe materials. Use materials that will help prolong the life of your scrapbook, especially materials tested for use with scrapbooks. Wrap albums in acid- and lignin-free paper so that loose pieces aren't lost, then place in acid- and lignin-free boxes with reinforced corners.

Even if you haven't joined today's scrapbooking boom, you'll appreciate the beauty and historic value of an ancestral scrapbook. It took a great deal of time and dedication for your ancestors to gather materials and to plan a page. If you have the patience to track down your family's old scrapbooks and put the pieces of the puzzle together, it might just give you the final clue to your family mystery. In any case, it's not too late to start a family scrapbook today that your descendants will treasure tomorrow.

Contributing editor Maureen A. Taylor is the author of Preserving Your Family Photographs (Betterway Books, $19.99).