Oswego History Museum Presents 'Preserving Family Heirlooms' April 25

What are the best ways to preserve priceless family heirlooms from photographs to books to wedding dresses? And even more importantly, what popular storage and display procedures could destroy the very heirlooms their owners wish to preserve?

Find out the answers to those questions and more during “Preserving Family Heirlooms” starting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at Oswego’s historic Little White School Museum, 72 Polk Street (Polk at Jackson) in Oswego.

Presenter Tina Beaird will offer tips and solutions for preserving precious family keepsakes for future generations, including suggestions for preserving both historic and modern family scrapbooks, photographs, documents, and textiles. She will also cover destructive and harmful methods many have used in past attempts to preserve heirlooms, including storing photos in “magnetic” albums and laminating documents.

Beaird, a resident of Oswego and a member of the Oswegoland Heritage Association Board, is the genealogy and local history librarian at the Plainfield Public Library. A graduate of Dominican University with a master’s degree in library and information science specializing in archives and preservation; she often puts her training to work helping and consulting with local organizations and historical societies.

She is a member of the Village of Oswego Historic Preservation Commission and many genealogical societies including the Illinois State Genealogical Society.

Admission donation is $5. This program is suitable for family historians age 16 and above. No pre-registration is required. Proceeds will benefit the museum’s operations.

Visitors are invited to tour the community museum before and after Saturday’s program.

Regular museum hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday.

For more information, call 630-554-2999, send an email to info@littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org, or visit the museum web site at www.littlewhiteschoolmuseum.org.