Hi, Friday, December 20, 2002, 2:26:43 PM, you wrote:
> As my slide collection grows, I'm learning that chronological storage > in slide trays may not be the best solution for finding slides I'm > looking for quickly. This has come up a few times before, so apologies to people who've read this reply (and weak jokes) before: 1. using archival clear negative / slide pages, file one film per page. Give it a unique number written on the page or on a label stuck to the page. 2. Write a caption sheet for each film. The sheet has the same number as the film, of course. Keep the sheet with the film 3. Store the film and caption pages in an archival ring binder. 4. Keep an index page at the front of each binder with a one-line description of each film, in film number order. 5. Give the ring binder & index page a unique number. 6. Write the start and end film number on the outside of the binder. It might also be useful to date the binders. Once you've done the initial work they should be chronological if you're keeping up with it. However, you have to be a bit like Michael Palin's fiancee in the film "The Missionary". 7. Store the binders in sequence on your extensive shelving in a humidity and temperature controlled environment guaranteed to withstand earthquakes, nuclear attacks and insect infestations. Or shove them under your bed. This doesn't make things easy to find, but using the caption sheets with their film/frame numbers and the binder number it's a very simple matter, but extraordinarily tedious, to type the information into a spreadsheet or cheap dbms such as Access or Ocelot which give you more sophisticated search facilities. Whenever you print a frame or label a slide you should include the binder, film and frame number so you know where it belongs and can find the negative for the print very quickly. Some places, such as www.silverprint.co.uk, will happily sell you archival negative pages and binders. --- Bob "Our heads are round so that our thoughts can fly in any direction" Francis Picabia
