A conservator from the Minnesota Historical Society shares some simple things we can do to slow the impact of aging for those precious family keepsakes, including photos. Here a just a few notable ideas:

• First, when you're shopping and see the term "archival" on a scrapbook or frame or album, beware. Archival is a generic, even meaningless term tossed on products for the purpose of sales, much like the label "no added sugar" on food products.
• Public Enemy No. 1 of organic products, meaning paper or textiles (including photos) is ultra-violet light. If you have something you wish to preserve for decades, you need to limit its exposure to light. You can do this by displaying the item in a windowless room, framing it using glass that has a UV filter, or simply storing it in darkness.
• If you have cardboard backing up any precious framed photos, get rid of it right away and replace it with acid-free paper.
• Never use adhesives to mount photos, prints, or anything in a frame. Use photo corners, adhesive mounts (where the adhesive doesn't touch the art) or even corners clipped from an acid-free envelope.
• Always make sure framed artifacts, including photos, don't touch the glass of the frame. Use a window mat or spacers to get a slim cushion of air into the frame. Once an old photo gels up (possible on humid days) and sticks to glass, it's there for good.
• Never laminate photos or documents, but do place brittle papers in polyester film to protect them from further deterioration.
• If you plan to use plastic to protect anything, including photos and slides, look for plastic that is labeled as having NO PVC. If the label isn't clear, put the plastic to your nose. If it has that "plastic" smell, don't use it.
• If, like me, you're fond of storing family treasures in a cedar chest, either line the chest with a acid-free paper, or wrap treasures in a cotton sheet. Don't let the cedar (or any wood product) come into contact with something you wish to preserve.
• If you are a gun collector, keep the old guns and lead bullets out of an oak cabinet. That goes for silver too.
• Last but not least, label the backs of photographs with identification using a dull, No. 2 pencil. Remember, a photo without a name has no value at all!

Personal Historians bring value, expertise to the process

When attempting to obtain and preserve a relative’s life story, hiring a personal historian for the task may be your best course of action. Here’s why:

• Family members are often more open when talking to strangers.
• Personal historians are skilled at drawing out reluctant speakers and making them feel comfortable. Also, just knowing that a stranger is interested in hearing a person’s stories encourages him to speak.
• The storyteller will give more details if he knows that the person is hearing the story for the first time. These details can bring the story to life.
• When you interview your own family, you’re going to encounter family secrets, things you may not want to hear. When that happens, you’re going to have a difficult time masking your emotions. Personal historians are non-judgmental and are more skilled in remaining non-emotional and supportive.
• Most people need the motivation, structure, prompting, and encouragement that an experienced personal historian can offer. A personal historian will see the project through to completion and brings expertise in publishing or video production that family members typically don’t have. The result? A family keepsake to be treasured for generations.

Tips for interviewing a relative, Part 3 of 3

If a relative is reluctant to agree to be interviewed, here are a few ideas to get things started:

• Ask him or her to confirm or counter what someone else has said.
• Bring out others’ books or tapes as examples of personal history.
• Pull out an old photo album and let the images lead the conversation.
• Reassure your subject that you’ll offer the opportunity to edit the interview transcript before it is shared with anyone.
• When he or she insists that no one would be interested in their life story (They always do!), say everyone’s life is valuable to future generations—the successes and the challenges! An ordinary life, when viewed by descendants, is always extraordinary.

If the person wants to put off being interviewed until a later time, remind him that memories fade with time, and the farther away we get from events, the hazier they become. It’s best to record them now.

Tips for interviewing a relative, Part 2 of 3

Family gatherings are often when those all important reminiscences emerge. But capturing stories from a family member during the holidays of family gathering isn’t the most productive way to collect stories. Here are some tips offered by professional personal historians:

• Interview your subject alone in a quiet room of his or her home, away from other people, noisy appliances, ringing phones, and interruptions.

• Use a good tape recorder with a separate microphone, or a quality digital recorder. Test your equipment before going to the interview and periodically throughout. Bring extra batteries. Check the recorded sound level to make sure it’s loud and clear.

• Listen attentively and let the person talk. Don’t interrupt. Give the person time to call up memories. The older the subject, the more pauses you’ll encounter. Wait them out.

• Pay attention and show interest. Don’t rush to the next question. Strive for objectivity, even though that may be difficult. Practice keeping quiet, no matter what the person says.

• Show respect for the person’s integrity and choices even though you may disagree with decisions that were made. Remember, you want to capture the narrator’s story from his or her point of view. Resist the urge to correct, or worse, to judge.

• If a person’s account of an event differs significantly from the historical record, gently say so and ask if that’s how he or she remembers it. Often people honestly don’t remember exact dates or sequences of events or get things mixed up. Gentle questioning can help discover the proper order of events.

Tips for interviewing a relative, Part 1 of 3

Before you approach a relative and begin asking questions about his or her life, define your goals and think about some of the following questions:

• Will you focus on the person’s entire life or just a portion of it?
• Who is the audience? In other words, who will have access to this person’s story?
• If negative material comes up, how will you deal with it?
• Will the stories you’re told be published, made available to a select few, or be kept private?

Then, inform the storyteller about the purpose of the interview and who will ultimately hear or read it. If you must, periodically remind the person you are interviewing that the stories that emerge from the interview will only be used in a way you both have agreed upon at the outset.

Once your interview is underway, if your subject refuses to discuss a particular subject, respect his or her wishes and don’t press. Try again at a later date, however; time can change a person’s perspective, giving him or her the distance needed in order to talk about a painful subject.

Writing prompts for memoirs

A colleague, Fran Morley of Fairlane, Alabama, shared a great tip for getting into the mindset of life writing.

My favorite trick, Fran writes, is to invite students on a memory walk through a virtual room from their past. I have everyone relax and close their eyes and put themselves back in a favorite room from their past. I have them step into the room, and I lead them around the room, asking them to look up, noting the ceiling, lighting fixtures, etc., look down at the floor (and maybe remove their "virtual" shoes and feel the carpet or flooring), look out windows as they pass them, noting what's in the yard or on the street, and look into other rooms as they pass by doorways. I have them listen to sounds from the room or other rooms (clock on the mantle, whistle of a tea kettle, dog barking outside, etc), and I have them take a deep breath and recall the smells of the room - grandpa's pipe tobacco, musty drapes, mom's perfume, etc.

After going through this virtual stroll down memory lane, by engaging all the senses, people will remember much more about the room than if I just said, "write a paragraph about a room from your past," Fran said.

For people who think writing about the past — writing their life story — is too daunting a task, this can be an outstanding exercise. Your history, one room at a time! After all, a life story is really just a series of small stories woven together with a single thread: you.

A virtual stroll through a room of your childhood might be a way to get you started.

Personal History: Not just for old folks

Personal history isn't just about older people telling stories from bygone days. It's about today.

All of us have, or will have, stories to tell, no matter what our age. Stories about family background, school, first loves, time in the military, our hobbies or travels, our celebrations, are all worth preserving for loved ones.

Remember, you are living tomorrow's history today. If you aren't interested in formalizing your stories now, jot notes to yourself in a journal so that the details that make stories sing won't slip from your memory over time.

What's your story? The topics are endless. Pick one, pick up a pen, and start writing!

Personal History on Video: Houle Trailer

View an example of personal history on video...

Who would want to read about me?

I’m just an ordinary person. I haven’t done anything special. Who would want to read about me?

We hear these objections a lot when talking about the value of personal history. In our star-obsessed culture, ordinary people believe there’s nothing noteworthy about the trials and tribulations of “ordinary” life.

Of course, ordinary people do extraordinary things every day. You know who these people are: the grandmother who serves funeral luncheons at church, the single mother who raised seven children while also earning a college degree, the office clerk who reads books to children during her lunch break, the bank executive who takes a sabbatical to volunteer at a Third World hospital. Every community – every family – has members who humbly go about the day quietly performing extraordinary acts. Their stories, once preserved, can inspire generations.

But a personal history can do more than simply honor civic-minded loved ones. Life stories allow us to connect to other people, to learn from their struggles, or to find courage in their ability to overcome, especially if we’ve encountered similar obstacles.

“The Year of Magical Thinking,” the critically-acclaimed memoir by Joan Didion, recounts the events that precede and follow her husband’s sudden death from a heart attack. Here is a story that explores as universal a topic that ever existed: death. Who among us hasn’t lost a loved one unexpectedly? Didion’s story resonates because when we read her account, we’re able to put our own experience with death into context. Her story isn’t so much about her family as it is about our family, about us.

Other people’s insight into a universal experience can lead us to a place we hadn’t before encountered, a new perspective. In this way, when we read a life story, we do so not so much to learn about them, but to learn something about ourselves. And therein lies the value of telling our stories.

The stories that resonate with us best are the ones where we recognize parts of our self in the narrative. The stories of ordinary citizens can be wonderfully unique. No one holds the same perspective on history, family, community, or birth, life and death, as do you. When you share your insight, you engage us in your uniqueness. We learn about you, yes, but we also learn about us. And this is how we connect.

Get Mom talking about her past

Collaborating with publishing experts

Oftentimes, the task of compiling an organizational history falls on an employee or volunteer. The reasoning: who better than an insider to explain the intricate workings of his or her company? But the opportunity cost of assigning corporate history to a novice who is not trained in the genre can be great.

An experienced publisher of history products will listen to and relies on its client’s expertise and collaborates with in-house experts to effectively communicate stories. Writers of corporate or personal history also understand modern readers, including how to meld narrative, typography, photography and page design to capture readers’ attention in order to communicate its client’s goals.

Confidentiality is always a client concern when bringing in an "outsider" to conduct research into a company’s or family's past. Histories in the Making guarantees that all research findings and interview transcripts will be held confidential; furthermore, its employees and contractors always conduct themselves with courtesy and professionalism as they interact with client representatives (current or retired), community leaders, industry professionals and others.

Corporate Histories, Part II

Corporate histories are different from traditional historical narratives. Because corporate histories are public relations vehicles, expect to find stories that are current or even forward-looking included alongside stories of the past. This juxtaposition of past and future allows the reader of a corporate history to insert him or herself right into the narrative, right into the story with which he or she is most familiar: the company of today.

Who is the audience for a corporate history? The answer depends upon the company producing the history and what goals are trying to be achieved through publication. One of the first things management needs to determine once it decides to produce a corporate history is audience. For whom will the history be produced?

Nearly as important to the process as defining audience, is for management to determine the goal of the history. Should the corporate history generate “buy-in” among stakeholders for a strategic shift? Should the corporate history inform new communities who aren’t yet familiar with the company? Should the corporate history thank employees for faithful service or for enduring difficult challenges? Should the corporate history build brand awareness? Should it build unity among diverse employee groups or markets? A corporate history, an effective one, will serve a greater role than merely celebrating the past. Each company will define its goals differently.

Corporate Histories, Part I

The approach of a significant anniversary often spurs a company to consider documenting its history. A centennial or sesquicentennial seems a natural time to share with employees, customers, shareholders, and the community, the story of how the business came to be and the ways it has adapted in order to reach such a milestone anniversary. In this regard, a company history can be a true celebration.

Anniversaries aren’t the only occasion to spur a company to consider telling its story. A merger or acquisition, an expansion into a new business line or entrance into a new market, all become opportunities to not only reflect, but to communicate the benefits and opportunities resulting from a strategic shift.

No matter which type of occasion spurs a company to consider telling its story, it’s important to realize that a corporate history can accomplish many communications goals. While a celebration of the past certainly can build camaraderie among stakeholders, a successful company history can do so much more than just celebrate.

A company history is a public relations vehicle; it can build public awareness, become a lobbying tool, explain a new strategy, give community leaders or the media a glimpse of corporate culture, and explain the source of company values. Also, by generating excitement among stakeholders, a corporate history can open the door for a company that wants to build on past successes by setting a new course for the future.

Explore the Library of Congress

Litera Scripta Manet. This Latin phrase can be found in the Librarian's Room in the Thomas Jefferson building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. Translated, the phrase touches the writer’s soul: The Written Word Endures.

The Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution. It was founded in 1800 when the seat of federal government moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C. Its original mission was to create a collection of books useful to Congress; the library was housed in the Capitol building until 1814 when British troops set the building ablaze. Within a month, retired President Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library as a replacement.Jefferson had spent 50 years accumulating books, "putting by everything which related to America, and indeed whatever was rare and valuable in every science," as he stated about his collection.

Jefferson’s library was considered to be one of the finest in the United States; his collection included books in foreign languages and volumes of philosophy, science, literature, and other topics not normally viewed as part of a legislative library. Jefferson wrote, "I do not know that it contains any branch of science which Congress would wish to exclude from their collection; there is, in fact, no subject to which a Member of Congress may not have occasion to refer."

In January 1815, Congress accepted Jefferson's offer, appropriating $23,950 for his 6,487 books, and the foundation was laid for a great national library. The Jeffersonian concept of universality, the belief that all subjects are important to a collection of American legislature, was the rationale behind the comprehensive collecting policies of today's Library of Congress.

Today, the Library’s collection contains books, recordings, photos, maps and even unpublished manuscripts – all readily available to the American people. Much of its collection can be viewed online.The Library vows to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations; in this way the Library of Congress is more than a repository of knowledge. It is this nation’s collective memory -- one that hopefully will endure for centuries more.

Preserving your stories allows you to live forever

It’s a new year and the days stretch out like a newly-plowed field. What will you sow? Why not take a stab at achieving immortality?

It’s easy and you don’t have to leave the world a Shakespearean body of literature or dot the countryside with libraries (as did Andrew Carnegie) in order to live beyond your years. Few of us have such talent or resources anyway.A person interested in achieving the most impact from their time on earth (foundational to achieving immortality) must pass along his or her values to the generations that follow. The most effective way to do this is by sharing and perserving those precious life stories.

Your life stories connect you to generations past and to generations to come. Your stories keep you alive. Your stories link you, one generation to the next, keeping your memory alive long after your passing. Start planning your immortality today!