A while back I wrote a post about what you should not do with old family artifacts such as photos, documents, and heirlooms. Today I will tell you three things you can do with them instead to preserve them.
1. Digitize them
No matter what you do, over time your family artifacts will deteriorate. Although technology changes over time, a high quality digital image will last a long time and may be accessible long after the original artifact has disintegrated. You can save the images to the cloud or share them with family members so that if your hard drive crashes, the image still exists.
Here is a tutorial on scanning photos and documents. For three dimensional objects, you may want to take a photograph or a video. If you do a video, you can use the video to also describe the story behind the object.
…and back them up!
Digitized materials will not last if you do not keep them backed up. I recommend backing up your files to an external hard drive and/or a cloud storage service (such as Dropbox) and using a software that backs them up automatically. I bought an external USB hard drive from WD My Book that came with its own automatic backup software, WD SmartWare. It backs things up in the background on a regular basis. There are multiple companies that sell similar setups. Some operating systems have backup software built in, such as Time Machine for Mac OS X.
Burning your files to a CD or DVD is another great option, especially if you have a batch of files you know you will not want to make changes to. It is uncertain how long writable CD’s and DVD’s will last, so I recommend you save your files on an external hard drive or cloud storage in addition to the discs. Use the highest quality discs and disc burner you can afford, use an archival-safe pen or photo marker to label them, and store them in acid-free sleeves or jewel cases. If you can afford it, get a set of M-Discs and a burner that works with them. An M-Disc is supposed to last 1,000 years.
2. Put them on display
I have to admit a lot of my own memorabilia is still hidden in boxes, but I aspire to be more like TV personality Peter Walsh, who asks, “If these items are of such significance, why are they buried in clutter?” It’s a good question. If you want to show your family members that these photos, documents, and objects are important to you and your family as a whole, keep them in a place where everyone can admire them. Don’t keep in a hidden place where only a few people ever see them. This will reduce the chance that someone will throw them away or auction them off after you die, forgotten along with the memories that belong to them.
I have been looking on Pinterest for awhile now, and I have found some beautiful genealogy shadowbox arrangements. This one in particular is just stunning:
It was professionally made by a framing company in Omaha, Nebraska called Malibu Gallery. I’m sure there are other framing businesses near you that will do similar work. Just ask when you take your treasures to them to make sure they follow archival safe practices. You don’t want those precious artifacts to be hurt by glue or other materials in the shadowbox.
Of course, you could try doing it yourself as well. Genealogist and blogger Laura Kirbyson has some tips for creating your own shadowbox: Again, make sure you don’t just glue your priceless treasures on any old piece of cardboard. Make sure the materials are acid free and use photo corners or sewing to attach objects rather than adhesive. Of course, if you just have a document, you don’t need a shadowbox frame, just a regular frame will do (again, acid-free).
Care for Displayed Items
However you choose to display your artifacts, keep them in an environment with stable temperatures away from direct sunlight. Heat and condensation can cause them to deteriorate rapidly, while sunlight will cause colors to fade.
You can make a high-quality copy for display purposes and store the original for safe-keeping. Three-dimensional heirlooms can be more challenging to store or copy, so a shadow box may be the best option. If you are going to put an original photo or document in a frame, scan it first so you have a high quality digital copy if you ever need it.
3. Give them descriptive labels
Have you ever found an old family photo and had no idea who the people were in the photo? Do you want that to happen to your children and grandchildren with photos of people who you know? A photo is worthless if you don’t know who is in it. If you have a stockpile of unlabeled photos in your house, take them out and start giving them labels. There are various ways to do this.
Of course the simplest and most accessible way is to write a description on the back of the photo. When you do this, make sure you use an archival-quality acid-free pen. A typical “sharpie” permanent marker is not acid free or safe for writing on the front or back of photos. The acidic ink may cause damage to the photos over time. Don’t use ballpoint pens because the pressure used to write with them may leave visible grooves on the other side of the photo (they also may not have acid free ink). A felt-tip, acid-free pen is the safest choice. You can find these at any place that sells scrapbooking supplies. It will be labeled as a “photo marker” or “acid-free marker” or “archival safe.”
Digital Labels
Another method for labeling photos is to digitize them and then label them. There are various programs where you can sort your photos and add descriptions. You can add the photos to a word file and write descriptions next to them. You can also edit the metadata of the image files. The metadata stays with the digital photo itself no matter what program or computer you are using to access it. (Denise Levenick, The Family Curator, has some instructions for doing this on her blog.)
The descriptions you write for your photos should at least have the names of the people in the photo. Write down other details as well, such as when the photo was taken and where, and what was happening. You should record as many details as you know of.
Another idea is to record a video of you or someone else who remembers when some of the old photos were taken. Film each photo in the video one at a time, and discuss who is in the photo and what was happening. You could also do this with three dimensional family heirlooms, which are more difficult to attach labels to than photos. Such a video will be a wonderful treasure to have. Preserve these memories now before family members pass on and their memories are lost!
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