Museum staff- curators, directors, historical boards, and others are in a struggle with time. The main thrust of their work is to slow the destruction of artifacts. That artifacts age is indisputable. How they age is another matter. The worst enemy of anything is the atmosphere and the changes that it makes chemically to the item being stored.
Paper- Light fades paper; water weakens it; smoke will make it indecipherable. Paper on pencil over time is particularly unavailable for preservation.
Leather- Leather will dry and crack over time.
Books - Book covers especially leather will dry and crack. Glue will shrink and loosen. Paper will fade and yellow and become dry and brittle.
Restoration
You must decide the degree of preservation at the time of preservation. Encapsulation for papers, prevents insect damage and dust damage. But more importantly, it will exclude air which causes much damage. It also protects against some degree of fading and yellowing. However, the item can still retain crease marks from inadvertent folding.
Lamination will completely protect paper for much longer than encapsulation but it destroys the authenticity of the item. The vinyl used for the lamination process poses problems too.
Best bet: Make a copy of the item for viewing. Put the original securely away, either encapsulated or between acid free papers and place in the dark.
Photographs: Make copies, handle all photographs and negatives with gloves; put away in special acid free containers. Handling of items without gloves leaves a residue from your hand on the item which in turn accelerates wear and tear on the item. This is why so many quilt shows refuse to allow you to touch the quilts.
Silverware - some say clean it for the small amount of silver that is removed. Others say put it on display in its blackened state. My opinion here is if you are planning to display silver in a museum or other setting, then be prepared to clean it and resurface it at some point. On the other hand if it is going to be stored, cleaning would not be necessary.
Wood - As with all organic items if wood dries out, it will warp or shrink. A conservation plan of oiling should be set up for items.
Textiles - quilts, dresses, shoes, hats and so on should be vacuumed gently with a mesh over the hose to catch errant beads. The item could be replicated and photographed, then placed away between layers of acid free tissue paper. If this is not possible, the next best choice is to hang them from wooden dowels or on mannequins. Whatever yopu do, do not wash the item if at all possible.
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