Get to Know Us

Welcome! We’re Gaylord Archival, and we’ve been serving cultural and educational institutions for over 125 years.

It all started with two brothers and $6. Meet our founders, Henry and Willis Gaylord.

Black and white photo of two men wearing hats holding a sign "Exhibit of Gaylord Bros. Syracuse, NY"

In 1896, they invented a simple mending tape to fix torn currency, but it soon became a hit with librarians for mending books. Gaylord Bros. became a purveyor of supplies to libraries across the country.

Black and white photo of group of employees next to a delivery carriage full of boxes

We even invented the Model C Book Charger. You know, before library computer systems, it was that little machine that stamped your date due card and went ca-thunk.

But as our customers evolved over the years, so did we. In the 1980s, the Library of Congress warned the public of the damaging effects that acids were having on our cultural heritage. In response, Gaylord formed a Preservation Advisory Committee to develop products that would help preserve valued documents and artifacts.

Man wearing face mask assembling archival binders in a warehouse
It’s our continuing evolution, innovation and dedication to serving our customers that has kept us in business for so long. (And made us an official Legend in Central New York and beyond.) Today, we are the leading provider of preservation and exhibit products. We handcraft countless products, such as archival-quality boxes, folders, sleeves and binders, at our factory in Syracuse, NY.  

Fossilized dinosaur in a large exhibit case in a museum
Beyond preservation supplies, Gaylord Archival now offers the largest selection of exclusive exhibit case lines, as well as custom casework. We’ve designed cases for all sorts of unique situations, from cases that fit around architectural columns to a case for a huge, fossilized dinosaur. We also offer steel storage, environmental monitors and many other products to help preserve collections.

Large group of people wearing matching baseball caps outside in front of building
We’ve come a long way from our humble beginnings in the Gaylord brothers’ basement, but we are still a family business. Gaylord Archival is proud to be part of the Wall Family Enterprise, a privately owned, global portfolio of businesses focused on learning and civic institutions. The backing of Wall Family Enterprise, along with our extensive product selection and manufacturing capabilities, uniquely positions us as a partner to support your preservation and exhibit projects.

We look forward to working with you!