Much thanks to Mary, Elizabeth and Phyllis for their valuable information. I am already busy trying out the two software programs, and Elizabeth's tips regarding general organizing issues were also extremely helpful. Again thanks for your help! Irene

Any method of organizing pictures seems okay for the first hundred. Some people realize their first method isn't working by 500 pictures, some get to 2000 and have to start over. Keep a simple method so that a collection can be copied and divided if necessary. Use some of the scans or copies of pictures in the intended way to see if the method is working. For example, how fast can you copy 200 or more pictures for Cousin A's relatives in a useful size under 600 pixels and mail her a CD-Recordable? She doesn't own software to resize pictures from 30 MB archival copies. My suggestions are based on organization for genealogy software scrapbooks with one to six images per page, most often 2x2 layout with captions. One data file of reasonable size for each branch of the family, or topic or set of digital camera pictures and uncompressed copies of pictures in Windows sub-folders. Recommendations for archival scans and archival storage found on Internet web sites are too costly for a person who has inherited thousands of family pictures and other keepsakes. Elizabeth