Updated 12/19/11: Sales are now closed until next year.

My Family Archivist Survival Kit is one of those things that's easier to show than to tell, so I made a video.

Watch the video tour so you can see everything you need to start a proper family photo archive: Boxes, envelopes, folders, gloves, and two kinds of pencils. Even if you miss your chance to buy one of these kits, it will help you choose supplies to make your own DIY version.

Watch the video:

You're here because you really, really love your photos:

You want the highest quality archival photo boxes for your treasured family photographs.

But you have no idea how to choose the right kind, or even where to start.

First of all -- let me reassure you that you are not alone. I've met family archivists who are so confused about this step that they get stuck here and end up doing nothing. Heck, even *I* get overwhelmed, and I read archival supply catalogs for fun. (Yep, it's true.)

The Practical Archivist (and Photo Rescue Kit) at work.

Profile from this Madison Magazine article.

Hiya! I'm Sally J.

I'm here to take the hassle out of how to safely store your most beloved and treasured photographs.

You can't buy my Family Archivist Survival Kit in any stores, or even in archival supply catalogs. This kit is the biggest one I've ever assembled. Not only does it include all the tools you need to safely examine, label and organize your photos, it also includes the most commonly needed envelope, folder and box sizes -- made only from the highest quality PAT-passed materials. Made right here in the U.S.

Basically, my Family Archivist Survival Kit includes everything you need to start creating a proper family archive - using the exact same tools I use for my own family collection. (Er, except yours is more attractive because all the boxes are black and I chose tan for my oversize boxes. Let's just say I made the fashion faux pas so you don't have to. Oh, and I also picked the wrong size big envelopes for my own stuff. Again, I make the mistakes so you don't have to.)

SALES ARE CLOSED UNTIL OCTOBER 2012

These kits are available for a short time only each year. There's a simple reason for that: Picking, packing and then shipping out bulky boxes asks a lot of my family. It's an invasive hassle. We earn money doing it, but there are easier ways to make money. So why do I bother? Well, it's actually pretty fun to do this kind of work with my kids. Not every day, but once a year? Delightful!
I'm also willing to go through the hassle because I know in my heart of hearts that it doesn't matter how many classes I teach or how many hours I consult with clients...having the right tools is where the rubber meets the road. Finding the right tools is difficult and confusing enough to bring even the best projects to a grinding halt. Heck, it's confusing for me sometimes and I read archival supply catalogs for fun.

This kit will make barriers disappear.

Barriers that have been keeping you from treating your photos the way you want to.

And as long as the picking, packing and shipping only take over our house for short periods of time, my family is cool with it.

HOW IT WORKS: You order a kit from me. At a certain deadline (in this case, December 18th, 2011), I place a gigantic order for all the components needed for everyone who has ordered a kit. There's a bit of a wait for everything to arrive from the archival suppliers, then our house gets filled with giant boxes full of empty boxes and we pick and pack each kit -- including yours -- and ship it from Practical Archivist World Headquarters to you or your lucky gift recipient.

All Storage Materials Have Passed the P.A.T. (a.k.a Photographic Activity Test)

Definition: "A standard procedure (ISO 14523) to check for potential chemical reactions between materials used to make enclosures and photographs stored in those enclosures." --Society of American Archivists Glossary of Archival Terms.

The PAT is the only Independent 3rd Party Test that shows enclosures will not react with your photographs and cause damage over time. Some manufacturers do their own testing (I know of one large retail chain and one direct marketing company that do this) but I find that less than reliable. Independent testing is your best bet.

Your Family Archivist Survival Kit Includes:

Photo Rescue Kit ($25)

The first kit I ever designed, and I'm as proud as I've ever been to show it off. This is where you'll find all the hand-held tools you need to properly archive family photographs. A pair of white gloves, two hard-to-find marking pencils and the wonder tool known as a microspatula. That tool comes in real handy if you ever need to rescue photographs from those horrible sticky magnetic albums, also known as The Chemical Sandwich of Dooooom. All the details you could possibly want to know about my Photo Rescue Kit can be read by clicking here.

Loose Photo Kit ($35)

Perfect for loose photos you've been storing in a shoebox, random drawer or bag. It's also a great place for all those single photos sent to you in letters that you have no idea what to do with. Also a perfect storage space for photos you rescued from The Chemical Sandwich of Doom. The envelopes include plenty of space to write notes, which is a great idea because seeing photos from the past always sparks memories. The shortest pencil is better than the longest memory.

This kit includes an attractive black box (PAT passed) that can hold prints up to 5x7" upright. You also get 25 paper envelopes that can store multiple prints. Storage for up to 1,000 photos 5x7" and smaller. Prints must be 4x6" or smaller to fit in envelopes.

Dimensions: Box is 5.5 x 7.5 x 12" Envelopes are 4.81 x 7.25" Colors: Box and metal edges are black, envelopes are eggshell. Qty: 1 box, 25 envelopes, no glue.

Documents & Ephemera Kit ($30)

This upright storage kit (PAT passed) fits neatly on a shelf. It's perfect for items sized around 8.5 x 11" such as 8 x 10 photographs, magazines, unfolded letters, office records, handbills, greeting cards, magazine clippings, menus and small posters. It comes with 25 folders to help support the upright materials plus keep them protected and organized. Folders have a full tab to allow maximum description (the more description on the folder, the less you need to handle the original items).

Dimensions: Box is 10.25 x 12.25 x 5". Folders fit documents 8 x 10" and smaller. Colors: Box and metal edges are black, folders are eggshell. Qty: 1 box, 25 folders, no glue.

Oversize Kit ($45)

Flat storage is the best solution for oversize materials. I created this kit through trial and error with my own collection. Spacious enough to hold 11x15 prints, or an 8x10 print mounted on an 11 x 14" mat board. One of the long sides of the box is left unattached, making it easy to remove the bottom envelope without having to take out all the envelopes on top of it. We call it a drop front box in the biz. Tall enough to house a pile of items 3" high.

Comes with 25 PAT passed envelopes, also sized 11.5x15. I chose envelopes instead of folders to reduce the risk of loose items falling out. These envelopes have a foldable flap, but no glue -- which could seep through at some future point. These envelopes include lots of space for notes.

Dimensions: Box is 15 x 11.5 x 3". Envelopes are 15 x 11.5" Colors: Box and metal edges are black, envelopes are eggshell. Qty: 1 box, 25 oversize envelopes, no glue.

~~Yes! Send me all the tools I need to start a proper family archive!~~

~~Family Archivist Survival Kit:~~

Updated 12/19/11: Sales are now closed until October 2012 (or possibly May for Mother's Day. We'll see.)

Fabulous! Bonus! Items!

Why not throw in some juicy free bonuses to sweeten the deal? Why not, indeed.

The Practical Archivist's Family Archivist Survival Tips. Practical tips to help you use your sparkling new kit to its full advantage. Tips like the best part of your house to store your treasures, how to prevent spills from destroying photos, and what to do when you're stuck with a bad storage environment like a humid basement.
The Practical Archivist's 8 Blunders People Make When They Scan Photos... And How To Avoid Them. Super duper practical and compact paper booklet that covers safe handling, digital preservation, storage media and file types. The solution for the most common scanning blunders...including some you might be making without knowing it.

Gaylord Guide to Collections Care. 64 page illustrated booklet that covers all the basics of storing collections long term. Written by conservators. Includes case studies on the specific storage needs of different types of heirlooms including documents, pamphlets, ephemera, photo albums and costumes. Drawings and photographs included. Super helpful!

Hard copies of all of the goodies listed above will ship with your kit, electronic PDF versions will be ready for download within minutes of your purchase. Suh-weet!

Got Questions?

Call my voicemail: 608-616-0058. *Please leave me an email address for replying, if possible..

Or skip the phone altogether and click here to send me an email.

Who is The Practical Archivist...and how do I know she's qualified to give advice?

An outline of my career to date can be found here: Sally Jacobs on LinkedIn. It's like an online CV.
Here's my story about How I Became an Archivist.
An interview I did with Dear Myrtle about scanning and dumping public records.
This interview with Lisa Cooke covers a lot of the basics of photo archiving.
And, finally.... a fun and frivolous interview about one of my all-time favorite topics: FOOD.

Welcome to the bottom of the page.

Thanks for reading the whole thing!