# Family photo sorting checklist

Sort printed family photographs in manageable batches: group memories, record known details and store originals carefully.

## Prepare a small batch

- [ ] Choose one box or album to work through
- [ ] Clear a clean dry work surface
- [ ] Wash and dry your hands before handling prints
- [ ] Keep food and drinks away from the work area
- [ ] Prepare separate groups for identified and unidentified photos
- [ ] Set a manageable time limit for the session

## Identify and organise

- [ ] Handle photographs by their edges
- [ ] Group prints by a known event or approximate period
- [ ] Record names you can identify with confidence
- [ ] Mark uncertain dates as approximate in your notes
- [ ] Ask relatives about unidentified people or places
- [ ] Keep related captions or envelopes with their photographs

## Preserve the results

- [ ] Choose suitable photo-storage sleeves or boxes
- [ ] Avoid forcing apart prints stuck together
- [ ] Scan selected photographs without discarding the originals
- [ ] Give scans clear names linked to your notes
- [ ] Store originals in a dry stable place away from direct light
- [ ] Back up the scans separately from the working device