Create a Family Scrapbook
A scrapbook is an excellent way to display and showcase your family history research.
Where to put it – With scrapbooking being such a hot hobby these days, there are absolutely tons of products on the market for you to work with. If your research is ongoing, you might want to consider a scrapbook that has a binding that can open, so you can add more pages or move your pages around. If your research and collection is pretty much complete for this part of your family, then this may not be an issue. You'll find a better selection of colours and book styles if you go with the non-movable page type.
How to organize it – Before you begin your project, decide how you want to organize it. How many generations do you want to include and which branches of your family? Do you want it chronological, or maybe have pages grouped by memorable events? This part is strictly up to you. I like the idea of placing people in generational order, with my daughter at the front, then myself and then my own parents. After that, I would include both my mother's and my father's side of the family. But that is just one possibility.
Use the right materials – No matter what actual documents you are going to include in your scrapbook, you should take special care to make sure they are going to be protected. The biggest problem is acid in various paper products, that can deteriorate paper and fade ink over time. Cheap scrapbooks and materials can have this problem so look for materials that are labeled "acid-free" or "archival quality".
Don't risk valuable documents – In conjunction with my last point, even if you use high-quality scrapbook materials, I don't recommend risking precious old photos, documents or clippings. These items really should be stored properly. Scan your items, and use colour printouts instead. You might be surprised that these copies can be hard to distinguish from the originals. Using digital images can also give you the opportunity to erase tears or marks on your photos as well.
Not just photos – You might gravitate towards filling your scrapbook with photos, but don't forget all the other things you have collected. Vital record documents aren’t all that attractive to look at, but you could include some along with newspaper clippings. Non-paper items can be included as long as they are flat enough.
Do some story-telling – In the scrapbooking world, this is called "journaling". You can let your photos and documents tell the story, but you can also jot in your own thoughts and memories on these pages too. Or share the memories from your relatives as well. This kind of writing can really add the personal touch to your scrapbook.
Embellish – Check out the scrapbook department of your local craft store, and you'll find all kinds of neat stickers, photo corners, ink stamps, paper die-cuts, ribbons, lettering, and more. Don't overdo it though, you want your memorabilia to get the attention. And make sure your embellishments are acid-free just like the scrapbook itself.