If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a photo album must be the equivalent of a novel. Although we have graduated to the digital age with digital photos and camera, most of us still have a foot in the old world of paper photos and albums.

Being Savvy Aunties, we want to preserve family history for our nieces and nephews. They need to know the family stories. Have you ever seen those old photos in antique stores? I’ll admit they make me a little sad since they have no home. They’re forgotten people.

Old photo albums are more than likely not acid-free and can turn brown and damage photos. If you don’t have the negatives to reprint from, remove photos from magnetic photo albums by sliding dental floss behind them. If the photos are curled, place them between two sheets paper and flatten them using large phone books or books.

Sort the photos. If the photos are stuffed in boxes and drawers, sort them chronologically or make categories. Some examples:

    * Grandparents
    * Parents
    * Childhood
    * High School
    * Vacations
    * Nieces and nephews (can break down by names or siblings groups)

Once the photos are sorted, you can store them in photo boxes or large envelopes. Grab a box at a time to scan or place into acid-free albums.

So you don’t have albums full of people you don’t know, have your parents, grandparents and other relatives identify the people in the photograph. Make a list of the names, places, and other details. You may uncover some surprises by talking to your relatives.

Scan your photos

To bring your old photos into the digital age, they need to be scanned in. There are plenty of national and local companies out there who will scan photos for you with high speed scanners. Price is generally based per photo. The more photos you scan, the cheaper the price per scan.

You can scan them yourself, but it is more time-consuming. In some cases, you may want to scan the entire page of photos vs. individual pictures. For example, some of my childhood photos were printed on small squares, and it was easier to scan them still on the album sheet. If you need an individual photo for a project or to print, you can crop the page down to the photo you want.

Store their masterpieces!

Precious artwork from your nieces and nephews can be scanned for posterity. Bulkier projects will have to be photographed. Macaroni and felt do disintegrate after time.

After their time on the refrigerator, store your mini-Michelangelo’s works in acid-free plastic sleeves. Make sure the child’s name and age on it. It’s one of those 'embarrassing' things you can pull out when your nieces and nephews are older.

In case of emergency...

Once the photos are scanned, put them on flash drives. Keep a second flash drive in a safe place with your vital papers or in a safety deposit box. If you need to evacuate your home (like those of us who live on the Gulf Coast), it’s easier to take a USB than a bunch of photo albums. Photos also can be stored on back-up technologies, such as portable hard drives or online services.

Share your photos. Run them on a computer or TV screen during your next family gathering. If you like the scrapbook look but don’t feel artistic, invest in a scrapbooking software program. You can make scrapbooks for others or yourself without having to cut photos or glue them.

Services, such as Heritage Makers, Snapfish, and Flickr, will create hardback books for loved ones as gifts. Make one for your parents or nieces and nephews. Heck, make one for yourself on your favorite vacation.

By taking care of your photos, your family photos will live on and become family keepsakes. 

Photo, courtesy of the author, is of her parents on their wedding day. The image had been buried until she started her own photo album project.