Dear WRG: Last month I posed questions to you on what to do with my "personal genealogical collection". I received dozens of replies with wonderful suggestions, and I thank you all very much. Seaching the web, I found many articles on how to preserve and protect valuable documents, whether they be photographs or other antiquities. Maybe the following will be of interest to you ... Storage and Preservation Methods: "In the year 2525, if man is still alive; if woman can survive, you will find " ... Media being used in a form we cannot even fathom now. Disk, CD storage is a wonderful form of backup for our own use now, but they will not pass the test of time. Most sources agree that we should PUT IT IN PRINT, since books should survive. Since getting a book "published" is not an inexpensive enterprise, print your own. Some supplies are readily available from local office supply stores. Office Depot, Staples, Office Max and others carry archival products. Just make sure you use only Archival Quality, Acid-Free papers, binders and plastic sleeves. I chose "Great White" brand Inkjet 24 paper and Avery Heavyweight Non-Glare sheet protectors. There are many vendors of high-quality binders. I chose Light Impressions' "True-Guard" "D" ring albums and slipcases, 5x7 and 4x6 photo sleeves, acid-free index sheets and cardstock photo lifters. Their web site does not contain their entire collection, so order a catalog to help you decide what size and style you need - http://www.lightimpressions.com . Note: I waited to order until I had printed the Journal and supporting Index and charts. My stack of paper is over 2" thick - so I ordered 2 of their 2 1/2" binders, each personally gold-embossed on the front "Family Heritage Vol. 1" and "Family Heritage Vol. 2". (More vendors and links to articles are included on my web site - See the "Genealogy Help" page: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jwmuse/roots.htm ) I was pleased that my printer would print "in book form" (front and back of each sheet), which saved paper and looks very professional. (Make sure you have a spare printer cartridge or two on hand before printing!) So far I have included: 1) Narrative Reverse Register Journal of the Ancestors of Ginger Whitney Muse (my daughter) - with embedded footnotes, bibliography and scanned images. (I included all spouses and children - living too - of her direct lines.) 2) Index of all persons 3) Ahnentafel 4) Relationship charts to "famous" people. (Mine includes Eli Whitney and President John Adams). I still need to write the Title Page and Introduction, and I maybe Descendancy Charts for the major immigrant ancestors. As I continue my research, Addendums and Appendixes will be added as necessary. Original documents and photographs (with negatives) will be encased in plastic sleeves and probably enclosed in Vol. 2, with references to persons in Vol. 1. Several years ago, I had some of the larger family portraits of my parents and grandparents framed with acid free mats and UV-protection glass. On the back of each framed portrait, I hand-wrote the names and dates of each person to identify them to future generations who may inherit them. These beautiful portraits are mounted in a wonderful grouping on my bedroom wall, away from direct sun per expert advice. I will keep you posted as my project continues! Jeanne