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Collection Management Made Easy and Meaningful  

May 22, 2024

Artifcts thanks Sarah Reeder, Artifactual History Appraisal, for her contributions to the following article.

Reading time: 4 minutes

You may have one or many collections, intentional collections and accidental collections. Part of the fun of collecting is keeping track of it: Knowing what you have and what you’re still hunting for, what is sentimental vs. valuable, and what is okay to sell some day versus you’d prefer to pass down to someone special.

Short checklist about collections

 
 
We know a thing or to about accidental collections. Try out our free checklist available here.

If you were a professional archivist, librarian, or appraiser, you’d have a ready tool in your pocket to help manage your collections. It’s called a finding aid. But guess what? As you Artifct your collections, you are implicitly leveraging the best of finding aids, but in a friendly form that all can enjoy and benefit from. 

Before you go on, download our printable about Artifcts and collection management. It might inspire you or someone you know who is a collector! Now, on with the show - a peek inside the world of archivists where we show you how finding aids and collection management are made easy and meaningful with Artifcts!

What Is a Finding Aid, and Why Should You Care?

Unless you are a collections professional (archivist, librarian, appraiser…), the concept of a finding aid is likely foreign to you. For the longest time at Artifcts we even mistakenly referred to them as finding keys. Oops!

A finding aid is exactly what it sounds like: A tool that helps you locate items within a large collection in a fast and efficient way. A finding aid is a guide that describes the contents of an archival collection. A well-designed finding aid makes quick work of determining the topical relevance of any collection. After all, what good is a collection if discoverability hinders locating and using elements within the collection in the future.

Many of us have experienced the feelings of dread and being overwhelmed upon contemplating many boxes of inherited items that probably have something important contained in them but what and where? Imagine if you had a finding aid that told you exactly what was important and where you could locate it!

This is the magic of what finding aids do.

To a large degree, information within a finding aid is standardized per guidelines from the Society of American Archivists, “Describing Archives: A Content Standard,” better known simply as DACS. Standardization means a professional could work with or for any gallery, library, archive, or museum (aka GLAM) and their collections without much difficulty. They might simply display the information differently than one’s accustomed to.

A finding aid would have information such as: reference code, title, date, extent, name of creator, description, dates, and location. Does that list look familiar? If you Artifct, it should… 

For those of us who didn’t go to Library Science school, in our daily lives we probably do not want to think about taxonomies, metadata, bytes of storage, or even finding aids. We want to enjoy and share the meaning behind the items we’ve collected and ensure the stories and value behind them live on!

Enter Artifcts: Solving Age Old Problems of Finding Aids for Every-Day Collectors 

What we created at Artifcts is the solution to several age-old problems of finding aids in an individual and family-friendly fashion. And this means great things for you all!  While finding aids are brilliant tools for professionals, they are disconnected from how most of us describe and catalog the ‘why’ of our collections. We need more multitasking support in our lives.

Here’s how you can use Artifcts to preserve the history and the value of your collections beyond the constraints of traditional finding aids.

Use those QR codes.

If you were to work with a professional appraiser, archivist, or collections manager of any type, they will likely offer as part of their services a description of the collection and list organizing the inventory within your collection, a finding aid of some sort. But how do you link that list to your physical collection? At Artifcts, you can print a QR code or use Artifcts QR code stickers to link the physical and the digital.

music box with Artifcts QR code on the bottom of the base

 
 
An Artifcts QR code unlocks the story and value!

Record your stories.

Move beyond “scope notes” and “meta data” inherent to the archivist’s expertise – “This is a 19th-century {name of item}” – and breathe life, context, and personal meaning into the objects in your collection, e.g. “This is what Great Great Grandma brought from France when she moved to New York. And I’m giving it to you now.”  

Artifcts offers the options to share your story, indicate what you want to do with items in the future, and supply critical other information like where on earth you’ve stored the item in your home or elsewhere and the supporting documents (receipts, appraisals, and more). 

Connect the dots.

We typically describe each Artifct you create as connecting the dots, because only you know how photos of those specific items relate to shape a story or history. But we help you go a step further, too. You can use our @ feature to cross reference one Artifct with another, tying together pieces of a collection and pieces of a story that others may not otherwise realize relate.  

Description field on Artifcts with menu open showing options for linking with @

 
 
Simply type @ as you add the story or description to your Artifct to link to other Artifcts.

Leverage your community.

Let’s not forget the value in sharing and collaboration to learn more about items in your collections. Through Artifcts Circles and the option to give ‘Edit’ permission to other paid Artifcts members, you can crowdsource information from your loved ones and experts alike to capture important details about your collections that may add historical and family history information as well as increase the value, too. 

Preserve what is.

Add the photos, videos, and original documents you have to your Artifcts. There’s a spot dedicated to securely preserve each as is. No compression. No conversion. What you upload is what you can always download again, too.

 
 
 
 
In our spring 2024 series finale of Evenings with Artifcts, our expert guests shed light on the 'why' and 'what' of collections.

Ensure that if you work with an appraiser or other collections manager in the future, they provide documentary support through Artifcts, so that you can protect and share the value of your collections with friends and family as well as knock off those “to dos” with your insurance company, financial planner, and estate attorney. 

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You may also be interested in these ARTIcles by Artifcts:

What to Consider When You Plan to Donate Art and Other Collectibles

From Rare Art to Family Heirlooms: Tips From a Master as You Consider Selling Your 'Stuff'

Everything You Wanted to Know About Appraisals but Were Afraid to Ask

How to Artifct that Collection

© 2024 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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What's New at Artifcts
New in Artifcts: Capture the Moment Now, Add the Story Later

The best moments don't wait, so now Artifcts lets you quickly capture items you want to Artifct later.

We're excited to introduce Drafts, a faster way to capture what matters and fill in the details whenever you're ready.

How It Works

  • Share a photo or video straight from your phone's gallery to Artifcts to start a new Artifct, or open the Artifcts App and take a photo, record a video, or capture an audio clip on the spot.
  • Add your media, tap Save, then choose Save as Draft. No title, no description, no details required.
  • Your draft appears at the top of your Artifcts list as a Local Draft, stored right on your mobile device.
  • When you're ready, open it back up, fill in the “Name Your Artifct” field and add the “Description or Story” behind it, and do a full Save to push it to the cloud and keep it safe in Artifcts. Once fully saved, you can see and edit it on the Artifcts website.

Capture the moment in seconds. Tell the story on your own time because your stories matter — and we're honored to help you preserve them. Feel free to reach out to us at Hello@Artifcts.com if you have any questions or suggestions for future features. We'd love to hear from you!

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© 2026 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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If Only Our Passports Could Talk

Once upon a time, crossing an international border came with a satisfying thunk. 

An immigration officer would flip through your passport, stamp a page with ink, and send you on your way. That little mark became proof that, on a particular day, you stood in Paris, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, or Reykjavik. Your passport slowly transformed into a scrapbook of adventures, filled with colorful stamps, visas, and memories. 

 
 
 
 

Today, that ritual is quietly disappearing. 

As more countries adopt biometric entry systems, e-gates, and digital border processing, many travelers no longer receive passport stamps at all. Instead, passports are scanned, facial recognition verifies identity, and your arrival and departure are recorded electronically. Countries including Australia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and much of Europe have increasingly embraced automated border controls. The United States also records many entries and exits digitally, and while stamps are still available in some circumstances, they're no longer the default for many travelers. 

For frequent international travelers, it can feel like the end of an era. 

The Next Generation May Never Know 

Think about handing your passport to your children or grandchildren one day. They'll flip through the pages and ask, "What are all these stamps for?" For many of them, the answer may be surprising because their own passports could remain nearly blank, despite traveling just as much—or even more—than previous generations. 

The physical evidence of travel is fading, and that's a shame, because passport stamps were never just administrative marks. They were breadcrumbs through our lives. Each one represented a moment, and every stamp held a story. Maybe it was the excitement of your first international trip; the honeymoon that started with a missed connection but ended with the best vacation of your life; or the semester abroad where strangers became lifelong friends. Whatever the story was, it was yours and yours alone; no one else would or could know the story simply by looking at the stamp. 

 
 
 
 

More Than Ink on a Page 

Open an old passport and memories come flooding back. 

That faded entry stamp from Italy reminds you of the tiny family-run restaurant where no one spoke English but somehow everyone understood one another and your daughter ended up ordering the best meal of her life. (At least according to her 15-year-old self.) The visa from India brings back the sounds, colors, and aromas that no photograph could ever fully capture. The nearly illegible stamp from Costa Rica reminds you of the rainstorm that soaked every piece of luggage before you ever reached your hotel. 

Even the imperfect moments become treasured stories over time, because if we're honest, nobody has perfect travel stories. Flights get canceled  (hello two week delay!). Luggage gets lost (and your skis rack up more air miles than you do). Or you get spectacularly lost in a city with no cell service. Those are often the stories everyone wants to hear first. 

 
 
 
 

Our Passports Have Been Quiet Historians 

Long before social media timelines and smartphone photo libraries, passports quietly documented where we had been. For genealogists and family historians alike, passport stamps provided critical "proof" of when a relative immigrated to a new home. Unlike digital photos that disappear into thousands of images on our phones, passport stamps asked almost nothing of us. They simply waited until we were ready to remember. 

The irony is that while we're documenting our lives more than ever before, some of our most meaningful physical records are disappearing. 

Ready to Get Started?  

Every passport tells a story. Instead of letting your travel memories live across photo libraries, email confirmations, Google Docs, ticket stubs, and shoeboxes of souvenirs, you can bring everything together in one place. Years from now, your passport may have only a handful of stamps—or none at all—but your travel stories can still be rich, vivid, and ready to share with family and friends. Artifcting it ensures those stories stay alive long after the ink fades.

  1. Start with the stamp
  • Create a new Artifct using a photo of a passport stamp or visa. It's the perfect starting point because it captures both the location and the date in one simple image. 
  1. Add the sights, sounds, and souvenirs
  • Bring the trip back to life by adding: A photo of yourself in the destination; videos you captured while exploring; photos of mementos you collected—artwork, ceramics, t-shirts, pins, spoons, shells, rocks, postcards, or whatever made you smile. Together, these pieces create a richer picture than any passport stamp ever could. 
  1. Include your documentation
  • Artifcts isn't just about preserving memories—it's practical, too. Add documentation such as flight confirmations and travel itineraries, hotel reservations, museum tickets and excursion bookings, or receipts, certificates of authenticity, or appraisals for valuable travel purchases that you may someday insure, include in your estate plans, or resell. Future you will be grateful. 
  1. Tell the story
  • Write five words or five thousand. Type your memories, use voice-to-text, or simply record yourself telling the story directly in the Artifcts app. There is no story burden. Capture as much—or as little—as feels right today. You can always come back and add more later. 

Travel Memories Worth Keeping 

Why Artifct your passport? Because every stamp—even the faded ones—marks a chapter of your life. Because the best stories aren't always the smooth ones. Because one day someone you love may flip through your passport and wonder what those little ink marks meant. And because memories deserve more than a fading passport page or a forgotten folder on your computer. 

Artifcting your passport makes it easy to relive your adventures, revisit trip details when planning a return visit, and share recommendations with friends heading to the same destinations. No more hunting through old emails, scattered Google Docs, or paper files to remember the name of that unforgettable hotel, hidden café, or favorite museum. 

If only our passports could talk. Thankfully, with Artifcts, they finally can. 

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Your passport may not capture every journey, but your stories still can. 
Start with one stamp, one souvenir, or one unforgettable trip and preserve the memories behind it in Artifcts.

Create Your First Travel Artifct Today

© 2026 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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How to Prepare for a Move Without Losing Your Mind (Or Your Child’s Lovey)

Our co-founder Heather is getting ready for her fourth move in five years. At this point, you'd think she'd have moving down to a science. 

Spoiler alert, she doesn't. 

The thing is, even if you've moved multiple times, no one prepares you for the inevitable chaos. The boxes all start out neatly taped and labeled. Then somehow, hours later you find yourself surrounded by a sea of cardboard, balled up packing tape, and a child on the verge of a meltdown screaming "Mom, where's Shimmering Star?" For the record, Shimmering Star is the stuffed bunny you repeatedly reminded said child NOT to pack in a box and instead carry in their day pack.  

Bonus points if your spouse simultaneously chimes in with, "Honey, where'd you put the coffee maker?" while the dog is desperately looking your way with his patented, please-tell-me-you-remembered-my-kibble-mom look.  

Moving has a remarkable way of making even the most organized person question every life choice that led to accumulating so much...stuff. 

The good news? While you can't eliminate every "Where's the XYZ?" moment, you can make the entire process dramatically easier by getting organized before you pack your first box. 

It's tempting to start packing as soon as you know you're moving, but taking the time to declutter and organize first will save you time, money, and stress. Even better, it's the perfect opportunity to preserve the stories and details behind the belongings that matter most with Artifcts. 

Step 1: Declutter Before You Pack 

Why pay to move things you no longer need, use, or love? 

Every box you eliminate means less to pack, less to transport, less to unpack, and less to find a home for in your new space. Decluttering before a move also gives you a fresh start, allowing your new home to reflect your current lifestyle—not years of accumulated "just in case" items. 

If you're wondering where to begin, consider tackling items like: 

  • Duplicate kitchen gadgets and cookware
  • Clothing that no longer fits or hasn't been worn in years
  • Expired pantry items and medications
  • Old paperwork and manuals that can be securely shredded or recycled
  • Broken electronics and tangled cords
  • Outgrown toys and games
  • Decorative items that no longer match your style
  • Boxes of forgotten keepsakes you've been storing "for someday" 

Our article, 108 Objects to Declutter from Your Home, offers even more ideas to help you make meaningful progress room by room.  

As you sort, remember that decluttering doesn't have to mean losing the memories attached to your belongings. If you want to keep the memory of those keepsakes while maybe not the actual items, take a moment to snap a photo and create a quick Artifct in our App. You can always go back and add the details later.   

 

Step 2: Organize What You're Keeping and Artifct Before You Move 

Once you've decided what deserves a place in your next home, resist the urge to immediately start boxing everything up. This is the ideal time to organize and Artifct your most meaningful possessions. 

Think about family heirlooms, artwork, collections, antiques, military memorabilia, jewelry, childhood keepsakes, vintage toys, furniture, and other objects that tell the story of your life and your family. Heather also likes to Artifct anything that is or has the potential to be breakable, which with a 75-pound golden retriever underfoot is quite a long list! 

Before those items disappear into moving boxes, take a few minutes to: 

  • Photograph each item.
  • Record its story, history, and significance.
  • Note its current condition.
  • Attach any appraisals, receipts, or insurance information. 

Not only are you preserving memories, you're also creating a digital record that can be invaluable later. 

No matter how careful your movers are, accidents happen. Boxes get crushed. Furniture gets scratched. Artwork can be damaged. Sometimes items are even lost. 

When you've already created an Artifct, you have: 

  • Photos showing the item's pre-move condition.
  • Documentation of identifying features and provenance.
  • Purchase information or appraisals when available.
  • A centralized place to store supporting documents. 

This information can make insurance claims much easier should something unfortunate occur during the move. 

 

 
 
 
 
 
Our co-founder Heather Artifcts anything breakable before a move as life always has a way of happening...

And for the items that simply can't be replaced—a grandmother's quilt, a handwritten recipe book, a child's first artwork, or your grandfather's military medals—you'll always have their stories preserved, regardless of what happens to the physical object. 

After you've decluttered, organized, and Artifcted what matters most, packing becomes far more intentional. You'll know exactly what you're moving and which items require extra care. Instead of simply moving boxes, you're moving the pieces of your life with confidence—and protecting both the objects and the stories they carry. 

Let Go Without Losing the Story 

One of the hardest parts of moving or downsizing is deciding what to part with. Matt Paxton, author, television personality, and longtime advocate for helping families through life's transitions, beautifully captures why Artifcts changes that experience: 

"Take a picture, tell the story in Artifcts, and you can donate it away. The story lives on, and the memory lives on, and the person lives on. You don't need the item to do that." 

When the memories are preserved, letting go of the physical object often becomes much easier. Families can confidently donate treasured belongings, knowing the stories behind them remain accessible for future generations. 

Make Your Next Move Your Most Organized One Yet 

Moving is more than changing addresses. It's an opportunity to decide what deserves space in your next chapter. 

With Artifcts, you're not just preparing for moving day. You're protecting your memories, simplifying insurance documentation, making downsizing easier, and ensuring that the stories behind your most treasured belongings live on for generations to come. 

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Looking for more ideas on how to Artifct during or after a move? One of our Artifcts community members, who grew up in a military family, shared that they Artifct the house they are moving from prior to the move so that they will always be able to remember what the house (and rooms!) looked like. We love this idea! Sometimes Artifcting those big items (like a house, car, etc.) may not seem obvious at first, but they are just as important as the small items we tend to Artifct most.

© 2026 Artifcts, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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