August 1 - And The Guest Author Is . . .

SALLY JACOBS

The Practical Archivist

You know that smile, you've read her wisdom. Yes, it's Sally Jacobs, The Practical Archivist. I have turned to Sally's blog more times than I can count and have always appreciated her "practical" advice. If you need help organizing, preserving, or sharing your family archives, read Friday From The Collectors August 1, when Sally asks and answers, "Is It Best To Keep Everything?"

Sally will address the division between the ancestor photos you've inherited and photos you've taken yourself. She'll help us with the difference between mystery ancestor photos and photos you yourself need to caption to keep them from becoming future orphans. And even though she's going to tackle the subject of "purging," she'll show us some fun alternatives.

Sally certainly has the credentials, but she wasn't born wanting to be an archivist. She tells us:

As a young girl I never imagined I would grow up to become an archivist. Heck, I didn't even know there was such a thing. My plan was to become a rock n' roll photo-journalist. You know, the next Annie Liebovitz. (Ah, youth.)

Fast forward to 1994. I had a BA in History and Anthropology and a decent job at a great book store in Madison, Wisconsin. I was madly in love and all-around happy. Retail was starting to lose its appeal. I was ready for whatever was coming next, I just didn't have any idea what that was...

One day my coworker Allison announced that she was going to library school. Curious, I took a peek at the course catalog and discovered my calling: taking care of historical materials. It seemed so obvious, yet it had never occurred to me. There was no doubt in my mind. This was what I needed to do. And when I started the program I knew I had found my new family.

Rock and roll photo journalism's loss was definitely our gain.

After earning her Master's Sally worked on collections at the Library of Congress, the Wisconsin Historical Society, Memorial Library Special Collections, American Girl (my Granddaughter's favorite), and the Chicago Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Shades is pleased to have Sally share her knowledge of family collections with readers of Friday From The Collectors, August 1.

See You There!