A new DNA match, an online webinar, and a box of old family photos have one thing in common: the information from each one needs to be tracked and managed so the genealogist can make contact with the cousin, remember to watch the webinar, or digitize and preserve the old photos.
A few weeks ago I met online with professional organizer Janine Adams to talk about organizing family keepsakes and photos for part of an upcoming FamilyTree University webinar “What the Pros Know: Genealogy Organization Tips”
I met Janine a few years ago at the Southern California Genealogy Society Jamboree in Burbank where she was a first-time attendee. I’d been following her family history blog for some time and enjoyed learning about her work as a certified professional organizer as the owner and founder of Peace of Mind Organizing® LLC. Janine helps clients downsize and declutter. She knows all about the challenges caused by “creative chaos.”
In “What the Pros Know,” Janine interviews four genealogists to discover tips that can help every family historian stay focused and productive.
- I talk with Janine about organizing old family photos and heirlooms
- Josh Taylor, Genealogy Roadshow expert, shares time-management tips
- Drew Smith, author of Organize Your Genealogy, talks about organizing your research process
- Thomas MacEntee of High-Definition Genealogy shares ideas on using research logs.
I think one of the best ways to get started organizing old family photos is to work slowly and methodically. One of my favorite methods is something I’ve dubbed “The Parking Lot Method.”
Imagine your worktable as a parking lot with numbered spaces for stacks of photos. Unpack a box of photos by placing each stack in the next available parking “space.” Then repack into preservation quality acid-free storage boxes in reverse order to maintain the order of that original box. Read my blog post here for a step-by-step guide to “Organize Old Family Photos with the Parking Lot System.”
And find more ideas in the upcoming webinar “What the Pros Know“ at Family Tree University. Register today for the January 29 presentation.
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