What are some good approaches to organizing and preserving photo prints?

Question

Got lots of old family photos to organize. What are some ways to organize- by chronology, by persons, by size? I want to organize for archiving, not for presentation in scrapbooks or albums. How do museums and libraries do it? Talking about physical prints, not digital pictures.

Answer 1

I actually teach people how to organize their photos in photo safe boxes with sort boxes within the photo box.

I recommend sorting by several categories - If the photo is primarily one person put it in their box, If the photo is a group of family, have a box for that family.  If the photo is of a particular event regardless of who is in it, I would have a box for that event ie. christening, birthday party etc.  

I would absolutely use a photo labeling pencil to preserve where the photo was taken, who is in the photo and when it was taken.  This ensures that if you are not there to tell the story or you forget, the label is there to assist.  

Good luck.  

Answer 2

I would do it by each person.  My Nana has been organizing all her old pictures and does it by person.  Her reason is that when she dies, each person will have their pictures together.  One thing I would do is put years and where the picture was taken on the back.