Get
It Together
May 4, 2000
By Liz Kelley Kerstens, CGRS
This
column is posted on the Clooz.com Web site with
permission of MyFamily.com. The
column was originally posted on the Ancestry.com
Web site.
Containerize!
One of the best kept secrets I’ve
discovered for organizing just about anything is to
containerize. If you look hard enough, there is a
container that can solve any organizing dilemma you can
dream up. In previous weeks I’ve discussed the obvious
containers that can hold our genealogical documents: ring
binders and hanging file folders. But what about other
stuff?
If you have artifacts that you
have inherited, you should attempt to preserve them as
best you can. One of the best methods is to buy acid-free
or archival storage boxes. Light Impressions
is my favorite spot for purchasing any type of archival
storage container. You can have its catalog shipped to
you, which offers many more products than are listed on
its Web site, including the variety of storage box sizes
available. For example, if you have a post card
collection, you might consider purchasing the Post Card
Storage Kit.
Light Impressions also sells storage boxes that can
protect clothing items, newspaper collections, family
Bibles, or just about any object that will fit in a box.
For more information on preserving your collectibles,
check out Barbara Sagrave’s book A Preservation
Guide: Saving the Past and Present for the Future,
available from Ancestry.com.
What else can you containerize?
Well, look around you. What looks disheveled or
unorganized? How about your magazines? There are a variety
of magazine holders on the market today, from the basic
plastic or cardboard magazine holders to fancy holders
that disguise the collection to look like antique books.
If you have a lot of magazines to organize, I’d
recommend that first you go through the collection and ask
yourself honestly why you are saving the magazines. If the
magazines are collectors’ items, by all means, keep
them. But if your local library gets the same
subscription, you can lighten a lot of your load by
recycling the magazines or donating them to an
organization that might be able to use them. If you use
the magazines in your research, then purchase magazine
holders that will accommodate your collection. I like to
devote several shelves on one of my book cases to my
magazine collection. To keep them neat, I have purchased a
number of magazine holders, most of which are Oxford
Decoracks. I like these because they’re triple the size
of the average magazine holders, and they have dividers
that are moveable. Additionally, I can put them on their
side so I can use the space on my book shelves more
efficiently. Look for these containers at your office
supply store.
What about your collection of
CDs, tapes, or microforms? There are containers available
for storing all of these types of media, and more. I
purchased a three-drawer microfiche container from
Reliable Office Solutions.
It neatly holds my rather large collection of microfiche,
right underneath my microfilm reader. Then I purchased a
similar 3-drawer container for my audio tape collection,
and a shelf unit to house my CDs. Those items can be found
in a number of places, including office supply catalogues
and Web sites.
So, the next time you look around
your office and get frustrated about a mess here and
there, think containers! Then go shopping...
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