Caring for your photos

Nowadays we don't always print out our digital photos but we all have old photo albums or boxes of photos lying around. Some have yellowed with age. This is due to the acid in the paper, exposure to UV rays, or a combination of both. It might be difficult to see the detail in some because they are so far gone. Photo restoration services are available. I prefer to keep the photos that are slightly yellowed as long as I can make out the details.

First, you need to get these photos protected. Invest in some sturdy photo albums and sheet protectors. Most of the brand name plastic sheet protectors are acid free. You can purchase them at local supply stores. You can buy the photo albums and acid free paper stock at most craft and scrap booking stores. Many photo albums hold 8-1/2"x11" paper. Larger albums hold 12"x12".

I mount my photos on the acid free paper in 2 ways: glued to the page with non-permanent glue if there is no writing on the back of the photo and photo corners for pictures that do have writing on the back. My preference for glue is the Hermafix glue dots. They are applied with a dispenser and the glue is not permanent, allowing you to remove or rearrange photos. I like using photo corners for photos with writing on the back so the photos can be removed from the album to read the writing. The photo corners come in your basic clear plastic or you purchase more decorative ones. For me, the album is about the photos and other memorabilia such as certificate or coins so I don't like to add any of the scrap booking decorations such as labels, fancy photo corners, cutouts with funky scissors. It's up to you how you want your albums to look. Add comments/labels under/next to each photo. Be careful about using markers as they may eventually bleed into the paper and damage your photos or become illegible.

As you are creating your album, it's a good idea to get your photos scanned so you have a backup in case the original album is lost or damaged. You can scan the individual photos or scan the album page. Most scanners can handle the 8-1/2"x11" paper but if you have 12"x12" you may have to go to a place like Kinkos to get it done. They charge $1 per square foot (1 page) so it can really add up. I decided to invest in a large format scanner that can handle the larger pages. It cost about $1100 but I made most of my money back with the 3 photo albums I scanned. All of my family photo albums are online, on AOL Pictures, so I can share them with everyone. I also put them on CD and sent them out to the family so everyone has a copy. In addition, there is a copy of each CD in my safe deposit box at the bank.

I also printed off copies of some old photos to frame and have around the house. I took a copy of my parents wedding picture and copies of my grandparents wedding photos, found a rectangular frame, and display all 3 in one frame. I also make one for my dad and for each of my sisters.

Your albums should be stored in a cool, dry, place and should be laid flat.

Backup copies

It's important to have a backup copy of your documents, especially the ones that can't be replaced or were hard to find. You can either make paper copies, or my preference, scan your records. If you have the hard drive space (I have a second hard drive in my computer that's for data only) scan your documents to the computer. You can also scan them to CDs that can be store outside your house, for example in your bank safe deposit box. Some of these scanned documents can be linked to entries in your family tree software for easy viewing.

My preference, scan documents to my hard drive. For photos (see separate thread), I scanned them to my hard drive and then burned them to CDs to share with the family and I also loaded them into the free AOL picture albums so I can share them with everyone. This works for documents too. Some scanners will number your scans 001, 002, etc. so remember to view the files after you scan them and rename the files so you can easily locate what you're looking for.

Organize your findings

When I first started my research, I had two 3-ring binders, one for my father's family and one for my mother's family. As I gathered more documents, I found it necessary to split them. I went from two binders for my parents' families to four binders for my grandparents' families. I recently split one of those binders and another split is coming soon. I like the 3-ring binders with the clear sheet protectors. No glue so I can easily rearrange and remove items. It's also easy to just flip through the pages when I'm looking for something. The sheet protectors are acid free so they'll protect original documents from yellowing/foxing.

Some people prefer the file folders that have slots for divide up your records or, if you don't need to have your records portable, a small file cabinet will be a good start.

Still others prefer to work in what I call the "organized mess". Whatever method of organization works for you is fine. There's no right or wrong way. The CPA in me likes my papers orderly.

Please fell free to share your organization tips.