Organise family letters and papers

Private papers preserve provenance and relationships between documents. Useful organisation retains those links while improving access. Describe the collection before rearranging individual sheets.

The method, step by step

1. Photograph the original arrangement and record owner, receipt date and context. Identify existing folders, envelopes and bundles. Assign unit identifiers and keep envelopes with letters.
2. Inventory identifier, type, written date, sender, recipient, places and subject. Separate certainty from proposed attribution. Postmark and written date may describe different moments.
3. Scan all relevant sides and retain an intact master. Link transcription and translation to the image identifier; mark illegible passages and additions. Seek conservation advice for fragile objects before intervention.
4. Before sharing, check owner permission, people concerned and use conditions. Prepare a limited public version if needed. Back up the inventory so files remain understandable without their collector.