ALWAYS use acid-free and lignin free storage boxes that fit your materials without too much extra space that can allow sliding.
Polyester, Polyethylene, and Polypropylene are all archivally safe for preservation. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) or any plastics containing PVC should ALWAYS be avoided.
An easy to use protective sleeve for documents and photographs is an L-Sleeve. A short side and long side of the protective cover are sealed, while the other two sides are open. This sleeve is suggested if you are handling extremely brittle or fragile documents because you don't have to slide the document in from only a top opening. If you want your items secure inside, look for Self-Sealing L-Sleeves. These allow easy insertion like traditional L-Sleeves, but both open sides contain flaps to seal the open edges.
Another option are more traditional polypropylene or polyester sleeves; these only have a top opening. If you are working with a fragile item, it would be best to have a sheet of acid-free cotton paper behind the item and slide both pieces into the sleeve. This is only an option for documents with writing on a single side.
Polyester, polypropylene, and polyethylene sleeves are recommended for storing photographs, as long as they are uncoated. The same sleeves discussed in the paper documents section, work well for photographs. Paper sleeves are safe as well, if they are lignin-free and have passed the Photographic Activity Test (PAT).
Daguerreotypes and ambrotypes should be kept in their frames and a four-flap enclosure made for it. Acid-free paper is suitable to make the enclosure.
If your photograph is dirty or has oil smudges from fingerprints and other handling, DO NOT use any water or cleaning material. Simply use a soft, natural bristle brush to gently wipe the foreign material away. These are called dusting brushes.
If you have film negatives, it is common for them to develop acidic gasses after aging. You may experience a distinct scent when working with them. They should be store individually from other films and stored separately from printed photographs.
When handling books on a bookshelf, you don't want to tilt the book from the top of the spine. Over time, this will cause the spine to separate from the pages. If the spine of your book has already separated, or the cover or back have separated, you should limit the handling of the book. An additional measure to take is to use cotton twill webbing string to contain your book, so covers or the spine stay in place.
For storage of a book you want to preserve, wrapping the book and inside the front and back covers with buffered acid-free tissue paper. The buffered paper contains an alkaline material that will help combat against acid that may be in the leather or paper.
Next, you should buy a storage box for your book. Pick a size that closely matches your book so there is not excessive wiggle room. A clamshell box or traditional lid are both fine, as long as the box is acid and lignin-free. Again, always store preserved materials in a temperature and humidity controlled area.
These are just suggested examples of materials. You may choose to look for different purchase options, but be sure to follow the acid-free, lignin-free, and no PVC rules.