You will need —
• A computer
• A copier / scanner / printer
• A slide-to-digital converter ( if you have slides .)
• A collection of pictures , photos , slides
• A place to work over a long period of time
• Plastic , transparent page protectors
• Several 8 or 16 GB flash drives
• Several small ziplock bags ( 4.5 x 3 ” or 11.5 x 7 cm )
Procedure :
1 . Gather photos and slides all together in one place where they can be kept without needing to be moved or put away any time soon .
2 . As you begin to go through the photos , you will see groupings form . If , like mine , your families knew each other , you may need to make duplicate groups . Once the pictures are all scanned in the computer , it is just a matter of making copies to appropriate files .
3 . Purchase plastic , see-through page protectors . Label them and put the sorted pictures into them for scanning .
4 . Slides are more labour intensive . The best way to handle them is to buy a slide-to-digital converter . You can see the slides as you prepare to scan the pictures to store in your computer .
Some larger pictures may have to be scanned individually , but can be made the appropriate size for the slides you create .
8 . When all the pictures have been stored in the computer files and you have transferred them to flash drives , use the small ziplock bags to present the collections — with an index — to your appreciative family .
9 . Distribute the hard copy photos to whoever wants them . They are enjoyable to those who have not mastered the computer . I did not label the pictures . As one wise aunt remarked , “ Someone will always find a mistake . You ’ ll never get it right for everyone .” Those who care will find out who the subjects are .
If you know how to make PowerPoint presentations , you can go ahead on your own . This is a time-consuming process that exercises your creativity but helps organize the photos into smaller segments for sharing . The organized files act as a historical library ; you can even make an index for each PowerPoint presentation to indicate what is in the file .
You really can do this ! Even if you just start with one subject , perhaps your own photo albums and photo collections , you will get the hang of it in no time . It is not difficult — just arduous . Then you have your own personal historical record !
5 . Scan your photos and convert your slides .
6 . Save your pictures on a flash drive as well as to the hard drive . If your computer crashes , your work will not be lost .
7 . Make folder names and save your pictures to these files as you go . You can scan whole album pages and then use PowerPoint and photo tools to sort and separate the individual pictures . news & views WINTER 2016 | 53