Might be some good ideas here, preparing for the future :-) Sounds like work to me, but should be thinking about it. Mary Ann - ------------------------------------------------------ Kaylor & Kaler Mailing List owner Morgan County ILGenWeb Coordinator http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilmorgan/morgan.htm Sangamon County ILGenWeb Coordinator http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilsangam/sangamon.htm > >I have worked as a librarian/archivist in a county historical society and a >public library, and at times we were given or offered the records of a >person who was either deceased or decided they were through doing >genealogy, so I feel I can help with this discussion coming from both >directions.. In the past few months I have been trying to get my materials >ready so that when the time comes that I can't care for them anymore there >will be no problems for my heirto walk in and carry them out. Public >libraries often do not have room for everything (especially file folders or >notes and notebooks full of family group sheets and other records) and >county historical societies often hold only those materials pertinent to >their area, and both have budget concerns so they can't always take >everything they would like. > >As being on both sides of the story this is what I would recommend. > >Before you begin, have in mind a person or person(s) in your family that >has some interest in your work that is willing to store and make available >to others copies (at the inquirers expense). > >1. Go through all of your materials and DISCARD as much as you can of >scraps of paper, notebooks of notes (you should have all of them charted by >now!!!), inquiry letters from people who had no connection with your >family, etc. > >2. Make a section in your file by surname for each family and put the >documents, important letters, etc. there. (Did you chart all the >information in those onto your group sheets or in your computer program?) > >3. Select the most feasible file container, will your family deal better >with a filing cabinet or a few boxes? Boxes might make it easier to move >to someone elses home and can be organized for example into special boxes >for your maternal and paternal lines, and the same for your spouse. > >4. Place your files in the container, and if you have books that go with >the family or the area(s) where they lived put them with the files in the >box or drawer. Also collections of postcards, and other materials can be >sorted by family and stored the same. > >5. Sort photographs by family and file the same. > >6. Now is everything that is in your family files entered into your >computer program? (It isn't? Why not? It will do no one any good if it >isn't retrievable. Get that information entered...including scanning in >photos if you are using a computer program.) > >7. My goodness, if you have a computer (and you must have if you are >reading htis) now you have everything entered and documented in the >computer (even your photos and documents scanned) and low and behold you >can save it to a disk and make it available to a multitude of family >members , and you can print out in Book form a missle that not only your >local historical society or public library will be happy to store in book >form but copies ready to give to the LDS at Salt Lake (and give them >permission to microfilm it), as well as copies to the county historical >societies where ever your family might have lived. > >If you have general genealogy books, CD's etc. that you need to find a >home for, my suggestions would be contact your public library, your state >historical library with a list and ask them to mark the ones on the list >ones they can house. The how to books, (will soon be out of date anyway), >CD's, etc. can always go to the Friends of the Library Book sale or to the >Genealogy Society to use for a little membership auction to make some money >for the group. > >I know this doesn't answer all of the questions, but have decided as I get >older and more tired that the best answer to such questions is to keep it >simple. For 30+ years of research, by entering on the computer I have four >legal sized file boxes of such as above, plus a couple of clipping >scrapbooks, and a maybe 40 framed photos and it can all be handled easily >in my will. > >Hope this helps. Oh yes, I thought I would put on my tombstone, all >genealogical data on file at the Kansas State Historical Society (as I feel >sure they will accept a copy of the book(s) I create. >Gayle >gayle1@wheatstate.com > > > >