Once you've built your own family photo collection, it's important to identify and preserve the pictures you worked so hard to find. For starters, make sure you label each image using a soft lead pencil with the following information:

• name(s) of the individual(s)
• birth and death dates of the individual(s)
• where you found the original

Then you can share and save these photos by:

• Scanning them into your genealogical software package
• Creating a family Web site
• Publishing them in your genealogy
• Putting together a heritage album or scrapbook 

Just make sure you have permission of the original owner before reproducing photos that may still be protected by copyright.