DIY Genealogy: Saving Letters - Step 2: Scanning
Step 2: Scan Letters and Envelopes. This post continues the Saving Letters mini-series that started with Saving Letters - Why Do It? followed by Step 1: Cataloguing . In this post, Step 2: Scanning, I set out my considerations and the method I follow for scanning my letter collection. While I don't want to over-complicate this step, it is also not quite as simple as it might seem. Things to think about and decisions to make about the scanned files themselves include: Equipment and setup to perform the scans. Computer (or other) storage capacity for saving scanned files. Quality and readability of the scanned images. Potential obsolescence of the scanned file format(s). Backing up scanned images. Subsequent steps, transcribing and filing the scans, will be the subject of future posts -- so stay tuned! Working through this process gave me: a better comfort level that the letters would be preserved even if the originals were lost or destroyed confidence that the selected file fo