My Second Great Grandfather, Benedict Brown. I inadvertently caused the spots at the bottom of the photo!

I came across a short video clip on Smithsonian.com about preserving your photos (see it here).  I know firsthand how important it is to be careful with old photos.

I was once going through some photographs and found one of my second great-grandfather.  When I picked up the picture, I inadvertently placed my thumb on the front directly on his face and poof, my fingerprint was left behind!!  Needless to say, I learned my lesson about handling old photographs very carefully.

Which brings me back to my original premise, preservation of memorabilia.  Personally, I like to scan in any old photos I come across into the computer.  I also backup all my files on an external hard drive, since I have also had a computer go kaput!!

What tips do you have to preserve your photos or any items of interest??