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Preserving old correspondence

What to do with a box of old letters.

Protect the paper first, create dependable digital copies, and record enough context that another person can understand the collection later.

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Keep the originals safe

Handle fragile pages with clean, dry hands. Remove damaging rubber bands or rusty fasteners only when it is safe to do so, and store letters in archival-quality folders away from light, heat, moisture, pests, and frequent handling.

Digitize in a useful order

Photograph or scan the envelope, every page in reading order, and any notes on the back. Use descriptive filenames and keep an independent backup of the master images.

  • Record who wrote and received the letter when known
  • Preserve dates exactly, approximately, or as unknown
  • Note where the physical original is stored

Make the collection understandable

A searchable transcript helps people read the words without replacing the original. Upenned keeps the images, your notes, an editable AI draft, and people who appear together in the same correspondence inside one private archive.