“Archive of Me” by Kacee R.

During this American Archives Month, here at Special Collections & Archives we have been having discussions about items that would go in our personal collections- any documents, images, or objects we’ve held on to for a long time that we would want future archivists to keep in our collection.

This was a difficult question for me because I am an avid collector- of coins, VHS tapes, vinyl records, and vintage cameras, to name a few. I decided to turn to items I’ve acquired related to my family. 

This is the box my grandmother kept everything in. Pictured on the right are some of the slides and both handheld slide viewers.

This little box of film slides is one of the few of my grandmother’s belongings that stayed in the family. When I received the box, it was filled to the brim with film slides in no particular order. Also inside the box were two handheld slide viewers.

This is what it looks like inside the slide viewers. The one on the left is actually a keychain with an image glued into it. The larger slide viewer, on the right, lets you insert different slides.

In order to ensure the longevity of the slides, I transferred them to acid-free slide protectors. Despite this, I still kept the box and baggies she used to organize the slides and everything is stored together.

I would definitely want this object to be included in my archive. It speaks volumes about my grandmother’s tendency to record and store information. It also serves as a window into my own family, as well as into a time long gone.

Is there anything you know you would want archivists to keep in your Archive of You? Leave a comment and let us know!