Join us on Saturday, 20 January 2018, for the first-ever SLIG Tech Day. A full day of classes, hands-on workshops and mini-labs being held at the Hilton Salt Lake City Center before SLIG week begins.
Mona Lambrecht, MA will be giving a class entitled, "Creating a Family Archive without Going Crazy" at 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM.
Creating a Family Archive without Going Crazy
Mona Lambrecht, MA
As a family historian, you probably have those seemingly hopeless piles or boxes of family papers, photos, and heirlooms. You dream that someday you will have the time to sit down and figure out how to organize and store everything properly. Unfortunately, reality sets in and those overwhelming questions start creeping in: How do I organize those letters so I can find them again? How should I safely store my photographs? What should I do with all of grandma’s handkerchiefs? Where do I even start?!?
Working as a museum curator, I face those daunting challenges of organizing, cataloging, identifying, protecting, and safely storing historical objects on a daily basis. Not knowing how to begin usually stops people before they can even get the project started. In this class, I will show you ways of processing your family collection no matter how large or small. Because it isn’t possible to tackle the process in a single day, the goal is in knowing how to work in realistic steps, gradually improve your collection’s organization, and how to begin storing your items safely.
There are many different ways to organize your items, and fortunately (or unfortunately) there is no RIGHT way to organize, and ultimately catalog, your family collection. I will help you get started by showing you basic archival techniques so you can find the best solution for your situation. I will take you through:
• the pros and cons of simple vs detailed inventories
• the process of evaluating what you should keep or discard
• methods of sorting different types of materials
• options for arranging your collection
• object identification techniques
• archival safe products and storage options
• how to properly handle and store objects
Once you have a good idea of what your collection consists of, you can think about how you want to catalog your collection. The use of technology can make the cataloging process much easier but choosing software can depend on what information you want to track, how big your collection is, how tech-savvy you are, and what kind of a budget you have. I will address various spreadsheet, database, and cataloging software options and show you ways of creating a customized archival system so you can record your family heirlooms with the same detail as your family history research. Learn about tracking important details such as:
• who created the object and when
• the people or subjects in a photograph
• a description of an object
• an item’s condition
• conservation needs
• physical dimensions
• item location
• an image of the object
• and much more!
The organizing and cataloging process can take a lot of time, but it is well worth the effort. When you organize and store your collection properly materials will be easier to use for your research and last for many more decades than if you left them alone. The benefits of cataloging are in retaining each object's history, discovering how family members are connected to each item, and knowing where to locate the physical and digital materials easily. By caring for the physical and intellectual content of your collection so you will preserve your treasured family history and heirlooms for generations to come.
Mona Lambrecht, MA will be giving a class entitled, "Creating a Family Archive without Going Crazy" at 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM.
Mona Lambrecht, MA
As a family historian, you probably have those seemingly hopeless piles or boxes of family papers, photos, and heirlooms. You dream that someday you will have the time to sit down and figure out how to organize and store everything properly. Unfortunately, reality sets in and those overwhelming questions start creeping in: How do I organize those letters so I can find them again? How should I safely store my photographs? What should I do with all of grandma’s handkerchiefs? Where do I even start?!?
Working as a museum curator, I face those daunting challenges of organizing, cataloging, identifying, protecting, and safely storing historical objects on a daily basis. Not knowing how to begin usually stops people before they can even get the project started. In this class, I will show you ways of processing your family collection no matter how large or small. Because it isn’t possible to tackle the process in a single day, the goal is in knowing how to work in realistic steps, gradually improve your collection’s organization, and how to begin storing your items safely.
There are many different ways to organize your items, and fortunately (or unfortunately) there is no RIGHT way to organize, and ultimately catalog, your family collection. I will help you get started by showing you basic archival techniques so you can find the best solution for your situation. I will take you through:
• the pros and cons of simple vs detailed inventories
• the process of evaluating what you should keep or discard
• methods of sorting different types of materials
• options for arranging your collection
• object identification techniques
• archival safe products and storage options
• how to properly handle and store objects
Once you have a good idea of what your collection consists of, you can think about how you want to catalog your collection. The use of technology can make the cataloging process much easier but choosing software can depend on what information you want to track, how big your collection is, how tech-savvy you are, and what kind of a budget you have. I will address various spreadsheet, database, and cataloging software options and show you ways of creating a customized archival system so you can record your family heirlooms with the same detail as your family history research. Learn about tracking important details such as:
• who created the object and when
• the people or subjects in a photograph
• a description of an object
• an item’s condition
• conservation needs
• physical dimensions
• item location
• an image of the object
• and much more!
The organizing and cataloging process can take a lot of time, but it is well worth the effort. When you organize and store your collection properly materials will be easier to use for your research and last for many more decades than if you left them alone. The benefits of cataloging are in retaining each object's history, discovering how family members are connected to each item, and knowing where to locate the physical and digital materials easily. By caring for the physical and intellectual content of your collection so you will preserve your treasured family history and heirlooms for generations to come.
You can register here: www.slig.ugagenealogy.org
Hope to see you there!
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