Help with old pictures

Hi all, I hope you don't mind but I have a question regarding old photos. I recently took possession of all the boxes of family research my grandmother did and in these boxes are old tin types (I think that is the correct name) from the 1800's, some are in pretty good shape with some nicks here and there and others are rusting quickly. So my question is how should I store these? I feel paper sleeves I have aren't sufficient and really do not know how they should be stored. They have been in the hot and humid deep south and now they are in a very dry climate, and I'm hoping that the climate changes won't do too much more damage to them. My plan is to have them professionally scanned so that they can be enjoyed from copies, but in the mean time I don't want them to fall apart. Any help will be appreciated, thanks so much.

You may want to ask this over in the Photography group too. http://www.librarything.com/groups/photography

Wish I had good ideas, but the photo group seems like good place. If you find out, please post here for those of us in your position: the inheritor of all the old family photos and albums!

Try this site: http://www.thefamilycurator.com/

Oops, a little too quick on the send button. The Family Curator is a blog site but it is all about preserving family heirlooms. You may have to look around the site of just send a message to the "Curator."

Thanks for the replies, I'll repost in the photography group and check out the blog. I just don't want all of these great photos and documents to fall apart after coming to me.

Bertrand Lavedrine's A Guide to the Preventive Conservation of Photograph Collections may provide the help you seek.

Moving any container from a warm and humid climate to a dry climate can be a nightmare. A very real danger now is formation of mould where air isn't moving.

Personally to be on the safe side I would air all the contents and dry out fully. If any paper has been exposed to humid air it will have absorbed moisture like blotting paper to a greater or lesser extent. If it hasn't due to a good seal on the tin, you would have nothing to worry about but no harm will be done by drying out for a couple of days.

Once dry, I don't think it matters too much in what material you store as long as photos are not allowed to come in contact with one another. Protection against fire or flood might be a consideration depending on your assessment of value and risk.