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If there is already printed text on a document or photo, we can use OCR to make the documents keyword searchable, and any information added to the description field would be appended to the OCR text when it is ingested into our search engine.

Unfortunately, we can’t OCR directly from handwriting. If the documents are handwritten or pictures do not have any associated text, you can add your own description to the spreadsheet, and we will add that description to our search engine. You can add as much information as you would like in the description field.

To ensure we title and index the collection to your specifications, we have created a worksheet template for creating an inventory that includes descriptions and indexing instructions. We will use the completed spreadsheet as our roadmap for building your digital archive. The worksheet template is a .csv file and can be opened in Excel or Google Sheets.

In addition to the mandatory fields like document or media type, title, date, city, state, etc., you will have the option of adding a detailed description or transcription which we will associate with the digital image. The description will be used to help make your materials discoverable through the search engine on your "My History Archive".

This Is YOUR History

Preserve It!

The history documented in the pictures, papers, slides, negatives, and recordings you have accumulated over the years represents your personal history. You may not realize it, but that history is fading away a little bit each day. Your photos, home movies, documents, and slides are losing their color, beginning to become brittle, and losing the battle in the war against time. By creating a digital copy of the recorded accounts of your history, you capture the past in a format that is not susceptible to the same risk factors as your analog collection.

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Archive It!

The "My History Archive" is an online hosting, search platform, and access tools that power your archive, transforming your collection of files into an archive that can be explored for new discoveries, or for reliving old memories. You can share what you discover with others, and connect with your past in a way you could not with a box of old photos, a scrapbook of clippings, or a DVD of pictures. As more people create open "My History Archive"s a network of free genealogical tools will emerge, allowing for “crowdsourcing” of your family history research.

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Share It!

Family history does not need to be locked behind a paywall or exclusively available via a prohibitively expensive subscription service. This is YOUR history, and you can share it with anyone you choose, at any time, and on any device. You can also explore, clip, and share information you find on any "My History Archive" that an owner has made available to use as a free resource for others, or leverage the hundreds of free Community History Archives created by libraries, genealogical societies, heritage centers, and other institutions across the country.

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