Birthdays, family reunions, children and grandchildren visiting all have taken their toll on my family history time. But I did take a moment to send off an order for some archival boxes, photo sleeves and folders from Gaylord. I found an excellent place to do some scanning at our local university library. Their new machine can scan at 300 dpi as fast as I could turn the pages of the scrapbook my aunt put together for my grandmother.
The scrapbook is a hodge-podge of photos, handwritten histories, documents (including their marriage certificate) and letters. It is a treasure trove, but how can I sort it without destroying the book (and possibly some of the items pasted therein)? Scanning was my answer. Now the pages are all scanned (in TIFF docs), I can cut the electronic version apart and sort the pieces into my e-folders. I am keeping the original in its own archival box and also have the original electronic copy archived. Copies on 5 DVDs went out to each branch of my grandparents' family.
I'm still cutting and sorting my scans, but I can rest more easily now, knowing I have safeguarded the original by scanning and distributing. And I need that rest too, with all the grandmothering and reuning of June.
What a good idea! I have a scrapbook, too, that I have been wondering what to do with. Scanning the pages is a good idea. Thanks.
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