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As soon as word gets out that you're #scanning photos, more photos will be discovered by various family members. You will probably end up with a LOT more than you now have. Plan paper and data storage for this.

For putting photos, #NewspaperClippings , #FamilyBibles , and other items in albums and plastic covers, use only ACID-FREE plastic and Mylar. Any yellow faded documents or previously discolored photos you might have found in albums have been damaged by poor quality plastic.

Hobby Lobby and similar stores should have safe #PhotoAlbums and acid-free album sleeve pages. You can get pages that hold multiple photos at once, or large 8x10 photos.

You can also get acid-free plastic storage at any #ComicBook store (seriously, they tend to be less expensive than specialty archiving companies). Bring in your items and ask if they have anything for that size. They probably will-- everything from baseball card size up to old Life Magazine size.

They also have "backer boards" which you can use in photo albums to hold multiple unusually sized photos in place and to scrapbook any photos. They also provide flat support for flimsy or damaged papers. NEVER GLUE OR TAPE PHOTOS! Instead, use acid-free photo corners (from Hobby Lobby etc) to attach photos to the backer boards.

Get rid of ALL cardboard boxes (even ones that seem sturdy or promise to be "archive quality") and get a GOOD thick plastic bin. (This does not have to say "acid-free.")

The lid should NOT flip or snap-on. It should be sturdy enough to store other heavy things on top without the lid bending or caving in. Over time, people will forget to treat it with care, or something will get thrown on top of the bin. Multiple heavy photo bins will tend to get stored on top of one another. You want the lid to support a LOT of weight and be as watertight as possible.

#Genealogy #Archiving #FamilyPhotos #VictorianPhotos #ScanningPhotos #PhotoCollections #PhotoStorage #photo_storage
@atfarnum