Free expert advice on keeping family records

Worried about those crumbling family letters and fading photographs? Find out how to save them from the ravages of time with a free consultation from The Document Doctor on Tuesday, October 14 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Genesee County History Department at 3 Main Street in Batavia.

The consultation will include advice on how to preserve old photographs, documents, scrapbooks and other family records. Free archives kits, courtesy of Gaylord Bros., an archival supply company from Syracuse, will be available to the first 30 people who participate. The kit contains a variety of supplies and information helpful to anyone interested in making sure their family records are preserved for future generations.

The Document Doctor is offered free to the public by the New York State Archives as part of its year-long celebration of its twenty-fifth anniversary. It has also been timed to coincide with New York Archives Week, October 12-18, a statewide recognition of the importance of archives.

James Tammaro, an archives and records management specialist with the State Archives, and Heidi Bamford, archivist at the Western New York Documentary Heritage Program, will serve as Document Doctors, contributing their experience in the archival field to offer advice on the care of family records.

Registration for The Document Doctor is not necessary, but those who are interested in obtaining a free archives kit are encouraged to arrive early. For information, contact Heidi Bamford at (716) 633-0705, extension 114 or James Tammaro at (716) 847-7903.