A genealogist recently asked me if we should really keep the paper files since everything can be digitized these days. I responded with a list of reasons why we should still keep the papers. But, the challenge of organizing the paper files still exists.
Previously we have published four different organizational systems. One of our users, JL Beeken, shared her experiences with us using the MRIN Filing system. She wrote,
I finally got organized when I had so much paper and so many digital sources that I couldn’t find anything without wading through up to my shoulders. But, to be accurate, it was really a couple of years past that point. . . .
JL has some really good ideas about using the MRIN filing system. Continue reading her article here.
Donna wrote that she laminates certificates so that they do not deteriorate. Unfortunately, Donna you are hastening the process by laminating any paperwork. The way laminating works is akin to making a toasted cheese sandwich. When you toast a cheese sandwich the cheese melts and soaks into the bread, in part. In laminating, the laminating material bonds into the paper fibres and with the chemicals contained in that laminate, begins the long process of “digesting” the paper. I went to a seminar at our State Archive some years back and the State Archivist showed us examples of just how disastrous laminating can be. Now when I see people at copy shop counters producing certificates or cherished photos for laminating, I shudder.
It’s best to look for the special archival pouches to protect any future certificates you may obtain. In the US they can be obtained from Kinko’s or Office Depot, I believe.
Lance