How to Archive Family Tree Photos

Photographs require a controlled environment for archival preservation.

As of 2010, photographs are available in both paper and digital format and the preservation of both types is an important consideration when archiving family tree photos. An unchanging cool, dry environment is best for physical photographs with an ideal relative humidity of 35 percent at a constant temperature of 65 degrees F or less. The storage container, whether it be album or sleeve, should meet archival standards---stable, non-reactive acid-free paper or plastic. Digital images require safe storage of a copy of the highest resolution file available. The preferred current format for archival purposes is TIFF---Tagged Image File Format.

Things You'll Need

• Digital scanner
• Portable hard drive
• Scanning software
• Cataloging software (optional)

Instructions

Preparation

1. Evaluate the financial resources available for archiving family tree photographs. Archival materials for physical and digital photo storage can be expensive.

2. Determine the best digital image scanner for the project. For instance, if there are slides in the collection of family tree photographs that need scanned make sure the scanner has slide-scanning capability.

3. Once they are scanned and housed in archival sleeves and boxes or albums, identify the best location to store the physical copies of the family tree photographs. Maintaining a constant, low-humidity environment is the most important aspect for storage of physical photographs. Make note of any photographs that family members have requested be returned to them.

4. Identify the best location to store the digital image archive for the family tree photographs. Consider storing a portable hard drive in a bank deposit box and an easily accessible file on the home computer. Other family members may want copies of the family tree photographs, as well; this can serve as a form of backup.

5. Determine what type of cataloging and scanning software best fits the requirements of archiving family tree photographs.

6. Organize the photographs by type and generation for efficient scanning and information capture for the family tree photo archive.

Scanning and Preservation

1. Clean the scanner to make sure it is free of dust and fingerprints.

2. Scan each physical photograph to produce a high quality image. An example of a high quality scan is in RGB color at a resolution of 600 dpi with a target size of 8x10 inches or larger, set at 24-bits of data per pixel.

3. Save these images into the chosen archival digital format selected, such as TIFF, JPEG2000 or DNG.

4. To the file itself, add descriptive information about the photograph and how it fits into the family tree. Some image editing software has this capability, or use cataloging software. As a simple alternative, create a document listing the digital image file names with the descriptive information about each image and how it fits into the family tree.

5. Contact other family members for help with identification and dating if there is insufficient information.

6. Save a copy of all of the images and the associated descriptive information on the portable hard drive and move it to the chosen storage location---separate from the location where the originals are held. Distribute DVD or flash drive copies to interested family members.

7. File each of the physical photographs in the selected archival storage medium, such as paper sleeves or an archival photo album, and move them into the chosen controlled-environment storage location or return them to family members as requested.

Tips & Warnings

• Handle photographs with care and touch only the edges whenever possible to avoid transferring oils from your skin to the picture.

References

• National Archives: Caring for Your Family Archives
• HP: "Organize and archive photos: Tips for staying organized"
• All About Digital Photos: Storing and Archiving Digital Photos
• National Archives: Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Archival Materials for Electronic Access: Creation of Production Master Files -- Raster Images

Resources

• Universal Photographic Digital Imaging Guidelines
• Wilhelm Imaging Research