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Book Review
 By Christine Salins www.foodwinetravel.com.au Keeping Family Treasures By Elizabeth Masters and Ian Batterham. Published by National Archives of Australia ($24.95, softcover, 151 pages) Who says plastic bags take years to break down? Moving house recently, I found that many of the bags I’d saved for just such an occasion had disintegrated into a thousand pieces – and believe me, when you try to pick them up and they scatter everywhere, it’s as annoying as a tissue accidentally put through the washing machine. It made me acutely aware of how useless plastic is for storing things I’d like to keep. And as a hoarder from way back, I have very many family treasures that I’m keeping for posterity. Too many really, if I’m at all honest about it.  If only I’d had a book like the National Archives’ latest publication when I put some of my own treasures away all those years ago. “Keeping Family Treasures” is an illustrated guide on how to look after precious family heirlooms, including letters, albums, photographs, diaries and notebooks, scrapbooks, and precious objects and textiles. The preservation of audio and video tapes, home movie film, CDs and DVDs and time capsules is also covered. Using the family treasures of famous and lesser-known Australians, National Archives conservators provide clear and helpful preservation advice on caring for family keepsakes. Some of the people whose mementoes are featured include cookery writer Margaret Fulton, ABC presenter Andy Muirhead, and actor and historian Alice Garner. Conservator and co-author Ian Batterham says that with interest in family history at an all-time high, more and more people are recognising the importance of preserving their family’s special records, but aren’t sure where to start. The book gives professional advice in an easy-to-read format (and it will tell you, by the way, exactly which plastics are okay). As caretaker of some of the nation’s treasures – the records of the Commonwealth and its people – the National Archives works with Government agencies to ensure records are properly managed and preserved. “Keeping Family Treasures provides an opportunity for the Archives to extend this assistance and knowledge to the public,” Mr Batterham says. “The book also continues the family history theme central to the Archives’ previous publication, Family Journeys.” Keeping Family Treasures is available online at www.naa.gov.au for $24.95. To find out more about Christine Salins click here. |
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