So many old photos…

[Anonymous]

Moved mom to a dementia unit this past summer, and we have somewhere on the order of 20 albums and a storage container full of loose photos.

The albums have some very very old photos, and some are labeled. I generally like this kind of stuff, but I have nowhere to store it and there is something appealing about seeing the old photos in their original form. Many aren’t labeled, and in some cases there are 2-3 open spots on a page that would hold 4 pics, where the photos have disappeared.

1. Is there some way of consolidating these very old albums, while preserving the aesthetic?
2. Is there a service locally that will scan in other photos and label them where info is provided?

I can’t look at these boxes in my living room any longer!

[Anonymous]

I don't know about a service, but with winter break coming up it's a good time to hire a college (or even high school) kid for this project. Just make sure you are very specific about what you want done.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about a service, but with winter break coming up it's a good time to hire a college (or even high school) kid for this project. Just make sure you are very specific about what you want done.

+1 a crafty college kid could probably do a great job. Our neighborhood has a newsletter that includes kids who are available for babysitting, lawn mowing, shoveling, etc. We also have a mailing list where you could post a message.

[Anonymous]

I would just pick 1 or 2 of the good albums and toss the rest.

[Anonymous]

I uploaded a bunch of ours to ancestry.com so others who might be researching the family etc can enjoy them. Better than tossing them and for right now at least they are still available

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would just pick 1 or 2 of the good albums and toss the rest.

Take digital pictures of the good ones.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I uploaded a bunch of ours to ancestry.com so others who might be researching the family etc can enjoy them. Better than tossing them and for right now at least they are still available

I do similar but instead, put them on familysearch.org
That's a free website (and run by the LDS)

[Anonymous]

OP, you have no obligation to your Mom. Her inaction re: this was a decision.
What you want to do is what you want to do ~ that's all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about a service, but with winter break coming up it's a good time to hire a college (or even high school) kid for this project. Just make sure you are very specific about what you want done.

Also be realistic. It will take a long time (may not be accomplished over winter break) and it will be expensive. It sounds like you are interested in the photos, so i wold not throw out anything.

I assume you don't have siblings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about a service, but with winter break coming up it's a good time to hire a college (or even high school) kid for this project. Just make sure you are very specific about what you want done.

No way should you trust some kid to handle this sort of thing properly. They will be learning as they go on your dime and risk.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would just pick 1 or 2 of the good albums and toss the rest.

Take digital pictures of the good ones.

A photo of a photo is not anywhere close to a solution. High res scanning is the only way to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't know about a service, but with winter break coming up it's a good time to hire a college (or even high school) kid for this project. Just make sure you are very specific about what you want done.

No way should you trust some kid to handle this sort of thing properly. They will be learning as they go on your dime and risk.

I'm pretty sure we're just talking about consolidating pictures into fewer, slimmer albums, not rocket science. A responsible college student can totally handle this. I imagine it would be in OP's home, too. Likely set up at the dining room table or something. It's not like she's shipping the pictures off to some frat house.

[Anonymous]

Miss Freddy is not local but she does offer this service if you ship. She’s amazing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Miss Freddy is not local but she does offer this service if you ship. She’s amazing.

I should have specified she offers scanning services.

[Anonymous]

I would pay an expert to scan all the photos digitally for you and you should back them up on an external drive. Then decide what to do with the albums themselves.

You can also upload certain ones to an ancestry database.