With spring finally here, many of us feel motivated to take stock, clean and organize. At May’s Kingston OGS Meeting, we were lucky to have long-time member Joyce Fingland share her knowledge and experience with managing her family photos. This has clearly been a long-term project and labour of love for Joyce, and she provided practical advice on creating a published record that will potentially be preserved for and by future generations.
Joyce outlined her process of consolidating family photos into a printed book, providing names and other details for future generations, and taking advantage of family members’ knowledge to add names to faces and fill in gaps. Joyce printed her family photo book using Blurb and used the highest quality paper for long-term preservation. Two Canadian options for photo book printing include PIKTO and Posterjack. Both Canadian sites offer frequent sales, which will help reduce costs, especially if printing a large volume for family members. By presenting the family with a published book including details of photographs, there is a greater chance that photographic records will be preserved and passed down for future generations.
Joyce has also completed a smaller project based on her family photos on Facebook. It is a good idea to consolidate pictures, and it is an easier endeavour as the photos are already available in digitized format. Both projects are great ways to leave a tangible record for future generations wishing to embark on family history and genealogy projects.
Spring is also a good time to consider how important documents (birth and marriage certificates, passports, licenses, wills, land deeds, insurance paperwork, etc.) are stored in both physical and digital formats. CBC Life posted an excellent article this past May about digitizing important documents in the event of requiring quick access to them. Archivist June Chow and Digitization Expert Jeff Marceil outline important steps, including scanning, format and resolution, using logical naming conventions and storage options. This article is worth reading for anyone looking to get started on protecting and providing access to critical records.
