Make & keep
Number a photo strip collection without marking it
Connect photographs, envelopes and digital copies.
A stable identifier helps you discuss a photograph without writing on its surface.
Choose a small system
Use a collection prefix and a sequence such as FAMILY-001. Put the identifier on a separate record and suitable enclosure, not across the portrait. Do not make the identifier depend on a guessed year or person: discoveries should update the description without forcing every file to be renamed.
Evidence: Preservation guidance
Follow the identifier through copies
Include the same identifier in scan filenames and contact sheets. Keep a table connecting the original, its enclosure and its digital copies. Test the system on ten strips before numbering the whole box. Check that someone else can locate an original from the table without relying on your memory.
Sources & further reading
Sources for the specific facts and product descriptions above. Our worked examples, interpretations and practical suggestions are original editorial guidance.
- US National Archives — storing family archivesPreservation guidance