15. Preserving Old Photos and Artifacts with Kate Jacus

As the family historian and memory-keeper in my family, I've inherited my fair share of legacy artifacts, photos and videos. I've spent countless hours researching ways to organize, preserve and share these memories so that the stories of past generations can live on into the future.

Today on the Frame of Life Podcast, we called in Expert Archivist and The Photo Curator, Kate Jacus, to chat about ways we can preserve our legacy in the fringe moments between our busy and full, real lives.

Kate is the Preservation Specialist for Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York, an organization that provides collections management training and resources to institutions around the state. She has a Masters Degree in Museum Studies, has worked for the Smithsonian in DC and the Strong Museum in Rochester, NY cataloging and curating their precious artifacts. Kate is also a photographer, photo manager and organizer and mom... so she gets just how challenging the struggle is to manage your own personal collections.

Dive in to our super helpful chat about ways we can take small action to ensure our photos and the artifacts we cherish survive for generations to come.

Get our Free Photo and Heirloom Collection Tracker

Photo & Family Heirloom Collection
Tracker Template
​for Google Sheets

Start managing your photo and heirloom artifact collections using our custom photo tracker!

Keep tabs on where you left off in the process of:

• picking favorite photos
• editing your images
• backing them up
• Adding tags + keywords
• Tracking heirloom artifacts

to make searching for your Most Valuable Photos (MVPs) and the stories behind them simple and easy.

Includes bonus 6 min. video tutorial with tracking tips.

All you need is a google account to access the file.

START TRACKING

I'll share the link to access the google sheet and a link to watch our video tutorial in an email after you subscribe. You'll also be added to our email list for future tips and tricks delivered straight to your inbox. We promise not to spam ya! Unsubscribe at anytime.

Quick links to products we discuss that are available through Archival Methods. 

Use code FOL15 at checkout to save 15% off your order valid through 12/31/23

Archival tissue in pre-cut sizes or you can order a roll and cut your own size.

Three-sided sleeves (no flap closure)

Crystal clear bags (flap/adhesive closure - nice if you're going to be handling them more and don't want them to slide out) are the go-tos for storing vintage prints. 

Archival card stock - comes in pre-cut sizes which makes it handy for use as support inside bags or sleeves.

Polyethylene bags in a couple of sizes -Larger ones like 9x12 or 11x14 are great to have on hand for larger things like documents, memorabilia, etc. They hold a bit more than the sleeves/bags linked. Scroll down on the linked page to see the sizes available in packs of 10. 

Drop-front box - for storing vintage prints flat. Get a size a bit larger than the biggest thing you are storing so it's not squeezed in there. Can stack photos in this with just tissue between them or stack them in sleeves if they're stored that way.

Binder pages with photo pockets - nice if you have a collection of similar-sized vintage prints. Office supply page protectors are fine as long as you can verify they are 100% polypropylene.

Envelopes with Negative Storage- To help sort and organize the photos/combine with Negative storage. 

PDF of the Archival Methods Preservation Guide

Save Your Photos Month (September)  through The Photo Managers - trade organization for the Photo management industry. 

I am so grateful to Kate for taking the time to put together this incredible episode full of expert recommended tips and tricks for curating your photo collections. She’s a gem and I hope that you connected with her as well as I did!