If, like me, you inherited chaos, you will do future generations a huge favor if you will organize and preserve the materials. Gently unfold documents and place them in archival quality poly vinyl protective sheets. This will enable you to read them without handling the paper they are written or printed on. No matter how many times we wash our hands or how dry and cracked our fingers may be, we all have oil in our skin. This oil contains acid.
Acid eats paper.
The sheets also will protect the paper from breaking as it is folded and unfolded, or as it sits in a box of other papers. I'm sure many companies make archival poly vinyl protective sheets. Avery just happens to be the brand I bought at a discount office supply store. Ordinary poly vinyl can destroy your treasures, so make certain the ones you buy are clearly marked for archival storing. I also recommend you either photocopy important documents, or at least transcribe them and print the transcriptions on archival paper.