Caring For Your Masonic Treasures

The Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library often receives calls from Masonic lodges and Valleys asking how to preserve their historic documents—charters, minute books, and certificates—as well as photographs and books. We hope this booklet will help you get started with preserving your lodge’s or Valley’s historic material. In the pages that follow, we outline various preservation techniques and explain:

• The kinds of materials you might encounter in your collection
• The ideal conditions in which to store your collections
• The types of storage enclosures (boxes, folders, etc.) to use when storing your collections
• How to contact and hire a professional conservator to repair damaged documents and books

The guidelines in this booklet will help you feel confident that you are doing what you can to help insure the long-term preservation of your lodge’s or Valley’s documents, photographs, and books.