i would spray them with an acid neutralizer first, like "Archival Mist" so if there is any acid in the paper it does not damage other items on your page.
I copied a letter from my grandfather at Fed Ex/Kinko's on the color copy machine.
It copied it in the same yellowed, worn look but was on Acid free paper.
I am not sure if newspaper is safe, but making a copy would be a safe way. Also my mom has an article from the early 40's. It is brittle and yellowed. So if you scrap it, your article could turn, in time too.
I've tried spraying old newspaper clippings with acid neutralizer, but, it didn't do trick(I tested before and after). I found out that old clippings are so dry that the Archival Mist CAN'T work.
I went to alot of trouble washing the old clippings in a mixture of seltzer and Milk of Magnesia, and THEN, after drying them, the spray did neutralize the acid in them. But, that was a tedious process. Apparently the water bath revived the newspaper clippings.
Now I color copy them and throw away the original. Newspaper just wasn't meant to last. I know--I have pieces that have literally fallen into little pieces.
Newspaper Clippings
The preservation of old newspaper clippings can be difficult. There are several reasons for this. Most important, modern newsprint paper stock was never intended for archival usage. (Some of the paper used in old 19th century newspapers was, however, made with rag stock and has endured for many decades.) Modern newsprint tends to disintegrate quickly. Have you ever left a newspaper in the sun for a short period of time and noticed that it had yellowed? It was actually disintegrating. Add moisture and you have a recipe for extremely rapid deterioration. There are, however, several things you can do to preserve newspaper clippings and/or their content.
1. Make Copies Immediately
Photocopying newspaper clippings admittedly exposes them to a dose of bright light, and light is an enemy of newsprint. However, if you are interested in preserving the content of a newspaper article or clipping, there can be no substitute for a one-time exposure when the clipping is new. Make sure you are copying onto acid-free, archival-safe paper stock. Once done, you will then have a backup copy on a more stable type of paper.
2. Store Them Separately Never store newsprint with other documents. The acidic nature of the newsprint may contaminate other documents. Stored against another document, over time you will observe the yellowed silhouette of the clipping on the other document, perhaps even with some of the printing bleeding onto the other document. This is an excellent example of acidic transfer. Even storing newsprint and other, acid-free documents in the same container over time may contaminate the acid-free papers and damage them.
3. Store Them Safely
Selecting the proper storage medium and the proper place is essential to preserving newsprint materials for long periods. Heat, light and moisture are detrimental to newsprint, so make sure you choose a cool, dark, and dry place for the storage of these items. Make certain you store the items in acid-free, archival-safe materials. Your best choice is to place these flimsy, fragile clippings inside another container for storage. Don't rely on common business envelopes and manila file folders for this purpose. Depending on the manufacturer, these items may not be acid-free, and may ultimately destroy the newsprint. Polypropylene sheet protectors are great for this purpose. Check with a professional stationery printer or a reliable office supply store for acid-free envelopes, folders, or sheet protectors. Store your clippings in these materials. Also, once you have sheathed the materials, you may want to store them vertically in binders or flat in the archival storage boxes used for photographs. There are a number of companies that provide quality, archival-safe storage containers.
