Kathy’s Corner » Documenting Our Collections: Ask the Archivist » April 2026

Many thanks to our special guest, Kate Jacus, our fantastic presenter, Kathy Stone, and our audience, including Linda Teather, Bill Moore, Ann Rockley, Kyla Bayang, and all of you following along from this recording.Your precious family artifacts today just might unravel a descendant’s genealogical brick wall. Share what you’ve learned today from Kate and spread the word. Your generous ❤️s, restacks, and shares are a wonderful way to share this post with others and, in the process, thank Kathy and Kate. These free programs are made possible by the generous support of our Patrons. Learn more, Projectkin.org/about & join us!Our special guest, Kate Jacus, is a staffer at the Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York. This remarkable program makes the skills of a professional preservation specialist available to libraries, archives, and historical organizations across the state, helping them care for and make their collections accessible. Kate also runs The Photo Curator, a business focused on organizing and preserving personal and family photo archives. Kate’s practical, real-world approach to caring for photographs, documents, and family “stuff” inspires us to curate our own collections. Kate was generous enough to share her slides for you to use as a reference while watching her presentation. In her example, Kate references using a log, spreadsheet, or other database to track physical items. This is Lisa Stokes’ blog post Kate referenced, though she suggested adding physical condition. Coming in MayInspired by Annie Diehm’s Century Safe, Lori Olson White is now building a time capsule of her own. What a perfect place to apply our newfound preservation skills. You may have heard about the “Bridge to 2076” in her talk for Projectkin in April:In May, she’ll tailor the discussion for Kathy’s Corner to specifically discuss the challenges of curating objects for the time capsule. It’s the perfect follow-on to our conversation with Jane Chapman about her Treasure Box and today’s program about preservation. About KathyWith her decades of experience as a professional photo organizer, Kathy always has another special insight to get us through it. Learn more about Kathy’s Coaching.As Projectkin, we’re here to help families tell their stories in any form. I feel strongly that our collections of photos and other artifacts are key to our memories and, in turn, our stories.If you think this post might interest a friend or colleague, why not just pass it along?These are public posts, and our events are free because sharing your stories is that important. Let’s get this started!See all coming events in our calendar at Projectkin.org/events. Get full access to Projectkin at projectkin.substack.com/subscribe