The chaos of loose papers,
pictures, digital images, emails, letters, and etc. can quickly take over your
life when you are researching your family history. As genealogists we juggle many types of
ephemera and each one must be stored and cared for in different ways which make
taming the genealogy paper monster difficult.
Tip 1: Be
Consistent
As with everything in life
consistency is key. Choose a method that
works for you, your space, and your records then stick with it. Jumping back and forth between organizational
ideas can lead to disaster. You could lose papers, forget where you put things,
and in general make life a lot harder on yourself for no good reason.
A part of consistency is also
setting aside time to file, organize, and purge your papers. Yes, I said purge. We do not need to keep every little scrap of
paper for your collection. Setting a
regular date to sit down and do these tasks is crucial. Your family members will thank you, trust me.
Tip 2: Make
Sure Materials Are Safe
Storing your materials improperly
can lead to their demise. In the past
few decades the availability of archival safe products has risen thanks to the
scrap booking craze. Take advantage of that phenomenon by making sure you store
and protect your papers and pictures in a way that will ensure they last for several
more generations.
You can purchase archival
quality boxes in a variety of sizes for your keepsakes. There are also acid free plastic sleeves which
hold documents in binders. One of the
worst things we ever did to was use glue board self-adhesive photo albums. The acid in those sticky surfaces ate away at
pictures and ruined them the longer they were there.
In addition to how to store items
where to store them is key. Attics,
basements, garages, or anywhere else that is not climate controlled should be
used. The constant temperature and
humidity changes can degrade artifacts not to mention the risk of animal
damage. If you have an office or
bookcase to keep your genealogy organized that is best. However, if you can convince your family to
let you have a closet on an interior wall of the house would be perfect. The interior wall closest will not get too
hot or too cold and stay a constant temperature and humidity.
Tip 3: Invest
in a Good Scanner or Camera
No matter how much we try, or
how many people profess this to be the digital age, genealogists will collect a
lot of paper. To help with the clutter,
and cut down on the amount of papers, a good portable scanner or digital camera
is key. You can easily scan papers and
documents while on research trips, visiting family members, or at
libraries. What you can’t scan you can
take a picture of with your camera. Viola, one less piece of paper for you to
store or misplace!
Tip 4: Backup,
Backup, Backup
Nothing lasts forever. A natural disaster or accident could occur at
any time. Sometimes we can prepare for
them and sometimes Mother Nature won’t give us that option. Making backups of your work is a way to help protect
your research and heirlooms.
You can back up your files in
several ways. Making digital copies of
all papers and photographs is the most common way to do this. Once you have a copy you can then store your
papers away in a safe place.
Backing up those digital files
is also crucial. You can make copies
onto external hard drives but be careful!
Those can become corrupted if not cared for properly. You may want to invest in an automatic backup
service that will automatically back up your computer once a month. There are paid services that do this, such as
Carbonite, and you will need to do some homework to find the one that is best
for you.
Lastly, the newest way to share
and backup your files is via a cloud service.
There are several to choose from, but the most common is Dropbox and
Google Drive. Here you can store files
directly from your computer onto these platforms whenever you want. The added advantage to these platforms is
that you can then share these files with other people, no matter where they
live. Simply send them a link to the file
and they can see what you uploaded.
Tip 5: Use a
Color Code or Numbering System
Color coding and numbering are
the 2 most common ways to organize your files and genealogy. There are numerous ways to do this so think
about what will work best for you and then stick with it. Color coding is by far the most popular
because you can locate what you are looking for on sight. Numbering is another organizational tool and
is more than just the standard Ahnentafel.
Listed below are different ways other genealogist’s use these
methods for their research and you might find useful for yours as well.
Color Coding:
·
File folders or binders color coded by surname:
each surname has a color coded tab on the outside of any files or binders that
hold papers for that surname.
·
File Folders or binders color coded by paternal
or maternal lines: this system takes 2 colors, one for all the lines on your
paternal side and one for all the lines on your maternal side.
·
Color code based on types of records: Some
people like to file by record type and not surname and in those instances they
will color code based on the types of records those files contain.
Numbering:
·
Pick a standard system and stick with it:
ancestor numbering system (like Ahnentafel) or descendant numbering system
(like Modified Register System) are the 2 standard numbering system that you
can learn.
·
Number your sources: some people keep a source
binder with all the source citations listed in it for all of their
documents. The number for the source
citation then goes on the document before it is filed. Then, in the future, they can find the
citations quickly and easily.
Web Resources
•
Helpful Videos on Genealogy Organization
•
Online Resources for Organizing Your Genealogy
•
Organize you Genealogy Email
•
Organizing Your Hard Drive: Photo Filing Tips
•
Organizing Your Research
•
Organizing Your Research (Family Search)
•
Organizing Digital Files
•
Producing Quality Research Notes
•
Scanning Family Photos
•
What to Keep and What to Toss
Book Resources
•
30 Seconds: A Guide to Organizing Your Genealogy Files by Robert Langman
(Heritage
Knights)
•
The Art of Organizing Anything: Simple Principles for Organizing
Your Home,
Your Office, and Your Life by Rosalie Maggio (McGraw-Hill)
•
Organizing and Preserving Your Heirloom Documents by Katherine Scott
Sturdevant
(Betterway Books)
Free Forms
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