All organisations have a responsibility to ensure the long-life of their important paper records. By using long-life quality paper with an alkaline buffer, it will last for many, many years. Long-life paper is readily available from suppliers. Important documents which are produced on acidic paper should be micro-filmed or copied in the future or they will be lost forever. Family Photographs - These should be stored carefully to make them last.
Coloured photos go orange whilst black and white photos fade.
If this is the way you have stored your photos, consider having old photographs redone. If you have negatives, get new prints made, because deterioration in the self-adhesive albums will have begun and is irreversible. Photos should be stored in acid free inert commercial albums. If you need to write on the back of photos, use a soft lead pencil. Store albums and photographs away from sunlight or artificial light in a clean, dark, cool and dry place.