Lasting Links

“I wonder if any of us will ever measure up,” my brother David mused as we met to put the final touches on our family heritage book. He, along with my seven other brothers and sisters were commenting on what remarkable persons our parents were. Our project of researching and then publishing our parents’ (and their ancestors’) histories had given each of us a new appreciation for their lives and the value of our family upbringing and traditions.

Many Insights Gained

Print books have several advantages over digital editions

Each of us gained many insights to our parents and grandparents that we never had known before this effort began. Heretofore unknown journals came to light, letters from their early married lives were discovered, photos and yearbooks seemed to miraculously fall into our hands out of nowhere. It was as though persons beyond the veil, from an unseen world, were helping us compile a record of their lives that would benefit their descendants for generations.

Few things More Rewarding

There are few things more rewarding, reaffirming and enjoyable than finally seeing the results of our work – cherished memories and histories of parents, siblings and ancestors now gone – printed and bound in a library-quality book. Current and upcoming generations will be brought to laughter, tears, bemusement, introspection, and insights they may never have experienced before as information and images from the past become available at their fingertips. Speaking of tears, more than one brother, sister, daughter and son-in-law called with tears in his or her voice, to thank me for my small part in leading our most recent effort to publish our parents’ history.

Books Provide Significant Advantages Over Electronic Counterparts

Although electronic presentations of information have their advantages over printed books, such as low cost of duplication, searchability and ease of distribution, there are significant advantages to sharing information in print books. Among them are:

1. Books may last a long time. They do not become inaccessible every ten years or less because of advances in technology. If one can read, one can enjoy a book. If a book was printed 100 years ago, it can likely still be read today, if it was printed on quality paper.
2. Books are not usually as fragile as are most computer technologies. They don’t “crash” nor are they subject to losing all their information because of an errant keystroke, a loss of power or a hard drive failure.
3. Printed books maintain a greater physical and tactile presence than electronic files. They can be handled and hefted. They can be seen any time on one’s bookshelf. They are less-easily misplaced than if their content is on some hard drive five levels down in an electronic directory.
4. Pictures and print in ink on paper are easier to see than dots on a screen. Print image resolutions of 300 dpi, 600 dpi and higher are able to deliver several-times-finer detail than screen resolutions of 72 to 100 dpi.
5. Books are convenient and comfortable. They can be opened in a second or less, held in one’s hand practically as long as one wishes, and closed immediately, with no “boot-up” or shut down times. On the other hand, people rarely think of “curling up in bed with a good computer screen”, Kindles notwithstanding.

Begin Preparations Now

If you haven’t already done so, for these reasons and more, you should begin preparations now to have your family’s stories, traditions, and memories printed and bound in a library-quality book. Sign up for our free, family and friends websites to help in collaborating with others. Family and friends will be grateful for your efforts for many years to come.

Subsequent articles will cover how to create and publish your book. Check back soon! What are your thoughts on this topic?