Viking Magazine - March 2016 - 26

1 Wear cotton or non-latex powder-free medical gloves so oil
from your hands does not transfer.
2 Do not expose photos to food, liquids, adhesives, smoke or
extended sunlight.
3 Remove fasteners, paper clips or rubber bands around the
photos.
Photo Handling
Tips
4 Store photos flat and in acid- and lignin-free materials. Keep
prints separate from negatives.
5 To clean the surface of a photo, use a soft brush with a light
touch. Do not press the brush onto the surface.
6 Do not use water or liquids to clean your photos or negatives.
Organizing, Preserving and Sharing Photos
When it comes to organizing photos,
Taylor says to keep it as simple as
possible. Make digital copies of all
photos using a scanner. If there's writing
on the photo, keep that attached to any
copies you make. This allows you to
preserve handwriting from relatives.
As for labeling the digital files,
Taylor uses names and key words for
the images to make them easier to find
the next time you look for them. Filing
by name alone can lead to challenges
when one woman has married several
times and takes different last names,
for example. Other ways to organize
photos include by years, place, family
branches and so on. What's important,
says Taylor, is to find a way that works
for you.
Since historic photos are vulnerable
to light, heat, humidity and even the
oils on our skin, sharing photos can
seem like the antithesis of preserving
them. But, says Taylor, archival storage
materials can make both goals feasible.
Storing photos in acid- and lignin-free
materials is a critical step according to
both Paulson and Taylor. " Anybody can
preserve, " she says. " The materials are
widely available and it doesn't have to
be super expensive. "
Taylor explains that truly archival
materials for photo storage - including
boxes, sleeves and albums - allow old,
often fragile, photos to be stored in ways
that do not cause additional damage to
the paper and ink. Products should pass
the PAT, or Photographic Activity Test,
she says. When damaged photos need
to be restored or conserved - due to
tears, stains and other damage - there
are often digital solutions you can try
at home. For more serious physical
damage, often experts are required.
Resources
Maureen Taylor,
The Photo Detective
maureentaylor.com
Norwegian American
Genealogical Center and
Naeseth Library
nagcnl.org
Organize, edit and share photos
picasa.google.com
Find photo albums, boxes and
archival storage materials
containerstore.com
michaels.com
archivalmethods.com
printfile.com
storables.com
26 VIKING MARCH 2016 sonsofnorway.com
The availability of resources and
materials, says Taylor, suggest the
increasing value of historic family
photos in knowing where we came
from. " Today, people are much more
aware of how important those family
photographs are, " she says. " Even more
than they were 20 years ago. "
For anyone who is putting together
the pieces of family history with old
photographs, there is meaning in
understanding and caring for their
visual heirlooms. " Suddenly, " says
Taylor, " it's an integral piece of their
family history. "
If you're discovering more about your
heritage, check out Sons of Norway's
Cultural Skill on genealogy. Log in at
sonsofnorway.com, go to " Cultural
Programming, " then " Cultural Skills. "

http://www.sonsofnorway.com http://picasa.google.com http://www.maureentaylor.com http://www.containerstore.com http://www.michaels.com http://www.nagcnl.org http://www.archivalmethods.com http://www.printfile.com http://www.storables.com http://www.sonsofnorway.com

Viking Magazine - March 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Viking Magazine - March 2016