Allies in Archiving

It's always great to find someone with a mind like your own... Sally, the Practical Archivist, found me a while back and I've recently gone back to her site to soak up some more inspiration. Yes, we can get stagnant sometimes even with the things we enjoy.

I've been dragging my feet about getting a new portable scanner (for mobile gigs) and her recommendations are all I needed. Yah-HOO!

Here she's writing about a recent topic of my own!

(my comments)

I just had this conversation with a friend who used to run a museum. He told me about Registrars not letting anything across the loading dock without a museum registry number. I like your idea of getting the boxes or folders done first, I agree with that.

Recently I’ve started cataloging with a system kind of marrying the two. I start with the fact: Is it in my posession, family, distant family, or a public document? When did I happen upon it? What family line does it deal with? How many items will I have with this ‘session’? and finally what kind of item is it? Document? Photo? Artifact? is it a photocopy?

Sounds like a lot, but wait, here’s how I deal with it in my master spreadsheet.

A199906.4.22.DC

The A tells me it’s mine. This was scanned with my mother in June of 99, it’s from her mother’s line, it’s a photocopy of a death certificate, and I scanned over 20 items that day. This number alone tells me a lot. I don’t have to fuss with anything else, but I do because that’s me. If this was something emailed to me by a 7th cousin, I would number the file like this:

C201101.3.1.P

I’ve decided what the codes will be for my family lines, there are less than 10, of course. Before long, I’ve memorized what the numbers mean, and I can tell you from a list if it’s something I can show you physically, or if the scan is as good as it’s gonna get.

I used to use Windows’ mass file renaming system, which works for less scientific purposes. You click the first of the series, hold the shift key and click the last, then right click in your selection and rename with something general, like “STEWART.2010″ and it will automatically do a sequence like “STEWART.2010 (1).jpg” etc.

A Work in Progress

If anyone is wondering what we do with photos and such here is an example of a work in progress. All of these items were running loose before, some were protected in envelopes, but not all together.

They are in archival safe sleeves on archival safe paper, every item has been scanned at at least 600 dpi, unless it is so simple in nature 600 would be overkill, and all digital images are indexed with thumbnail images in documents that are also burned on to the CD with the images. If you lose your index sheets, you can print another. If you lose your CD, you can get another made.

If there were audio files of interviews that went with this particular collection, those would be on CD as well, with a typed-out transcript. One could read along and hear the individual's actual voice, or make copies of the transcript to distribute...

I like this system so much I'm using it on all of my own family archives.

Fragile Photos

Do you have photos that are cracking, chipping, or already torn? ( Distressed furniture is in vogue, but it’s not good for heirloom photos. )

First we'll stabilize the item so we can scan it (digitize it) and then whatever you choose to do with the original item, it will be safer than it was before.

Once it’s digital, we bring out the best and clean up the rest.

Scanned and saved in high resolution, you can make re-prints or reasonable enlargements that will look more like the image did when it was first in the hands of your ancestors.

The Digital Audio Advantage

Although it is still practical and acceptable to make audio casette tapes of interviews and group conversations for preservation of oral history, there are many advantages to digital recordings.

* The quality of recording depends on the method and equipment used, however digital does not deteriorate. A recorded CD is expected to last 100 years.

* There is no tape to get stretched or "eaten" by a machine.

* There is significantly less storage space required, no rattling cassettes to box up.

* Editing, splicing, and cataloging sound clips- no matter how long- will not lessen the quality. It can be done in a similar way as a word document is created and edited.

* Sharing the sound files can be as easy as an email or burning a CD. Minutes vs. hours.

* CD's can be created with chapters/tracks and listened to just like a pre-recorded audio CD.

* Sound files can be added to slide shows or movies to share with a group or on the net.

Vintage Voices Family Archivists are equipped with digital voice recorders and editing capabilities to make your oral histories a pleasure to listen to for generations to come.

Just imagine surfing a CD of Uncle Jack's jokes...

(Cassette recordings are still available if you prefer)