Re: [LegacyUG] Scanner & CD burner

[Mark Stoughton]

Bill,   I have about 1,000 different pictures, documents, sounds and videos that I've scanned/digitized so far.  Here's what I've learned.   ORGANIZE   When you buy a scanner, do yourself a favor and don't buy the cheapest ones around.  Buy a professional (office) level scanner, such as the HP 6300 series.  You'll spend about $200 more but it's worth it in the long run.  I burned out my first scanner in less than a year, now I've got a 3 year old professional one that works great.   ORGANIZE   I think that almost any CD-ROM burner will do the trick, but again I'd reccomend getting a higher level CD burning package like Adaptec's Easy-CD Creator.  Sometimes the software that comes with the burner isn't up to the task.   ORGANIZE   Most scanners come with some form of Optical Character Recognition software.  I don't use it much, but nonetheless I'd make the same recommendation here to upgrade to a better software package if possible.   ORGANIZE   Get a photo management package.  Legacy is good, but it's job isn't to manage hundreds of photos.  I use Living Album 2000 because like Legacy it uses a Microsoft Access database, and I can easily move data between the two programs, but there are a lot of other programs on the market that handle the photo management tasks as well.    ORGANIZE   Once you have the scanner and CD burner installed, you should create a file structure that is easy to maintain and backup.  I use a single folder with multiple subfolders.  I've found that breaking down the folders into the smallest feasible units works best for being able to put my finger on a given picture at any time.  Computer programs don't care about where the files are, and this way makes it easy for me to remember.  Backing up this data structure is a snap, as is creating custom CD's of specific branches of the family tree.  Since a picture is worth a thousand words, this is what my structure looks like:   C:\     Genealogy\                 |                +Programs (Where I install my software - 1 subfolder per program)                +Data\ (Where I store my family files, 1 subfolder per program)                + Pictures\                            |                           + People\(1 subfolder per surname and one for group pictures)                            |      |                            |     + Group Photos                            |     + Surname1\                            |     + Surname2\                            |         ...etc                           + Places-Things\                            |        |                            |       + Documents\ (Subfolders basd on document type)                               |        |          |                            |        |        +Enumerations\                            |        |                 |                            |        |                + US Census\                            |        |                 |        |                            |        |                 |       + 1790\                               |        |                 |       +...etc                            |        |                + Canada Census\                            |        |                 |        |                            |        |                 |       + 1871\                            |        |                + ...etc                            |       +Buildings\                            |       +Maps\                           +Sounds and Videos\ (on't have enough sounds/videos to warrant breaking up the folder just yet)   It looks like a lot of work here, but I've found that if you set up a good system beforehand, it will save you lots of time in the long run.    Good Luck,   Mark Stoughton     ----- Original Message ----- From: Bill Houdek To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 3:24 PM Subject: [LegacyUG] Scanner & CD burner I'm wanting to take my family history activities to the next level. I have lots of pictures and text about ancestors I would like to get into the record. My thought is that I should be archiving the pictures before they get so badly deteriorated as to be lost. I have lots of text such as obituaries, narratives of family reunions and wills and the like that should be preserved as well. My thought about text is that I could import it into MS Word for "working" before making it a part of a Legacy file.   I have been told I need a scanner and CD burner. My financial resources are modest but I should be able to buy what I need.   Comments and guidance would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks   Bill Houdek   [EMAIL PROTECTED]