I have been significantly expanding my autograph collection over the last few months, and I would like to ask the members here about how they store and catalog their collections. My autograph collection consists of a number of different physical mediums, including signed LPs, CDs, pictures, documents and cuts. I have settled on using 4 millimeter mylar as a standard for archiving and storing my pieces as that seems to be the best physical medium for long term storage (based on what I have read). I also use non-acidic backing cardboard when applicable. Much of this material has been picked up through Bags Unlimited.

I am fairly comfortable on how I am going to be storing the LPs and CDs. Although I will be framing a few of my pieces, I am not going to be doing that with the majority of the collection in terms of documents, cuts and photos. I am looking at different ways of storing the cuts, photos and documents as I would like to have a clear plan in my head before starting this large project. I would like to ask the members here how they store and catalog their collections so that I can develop a well thought out plan on this topic. I will try to pose my thoughts and questions in a sequence of topics so as to hopefully make this string of thoughts and questions easier to digest:

General Storage - 3 Ring Binder?

I have been wondering if I should store my documents, pictures and cuts in a 3 ring binder once they are enclosed in mylar. On one hand this makes it easy to pull out and show the collection, but there are a number of drawbacks I can see, including:

• Many of the pieces vary in size, from legal and letter page sizes to 8x10 photos and other sizes, let alone variable sizes of autograph cuts. Trying to store these variable sizes in a large 3 ring binder would get messy or I would wind up having to use a fair number of binders if I sorted the pieces by size.

• Most of the mylar storage sheets I have found do not come as 3 hole punch sheets for ready storage in 3 ring binder. This means that I would to purchase additional 3 hole punch sleeves and then insert the mylar into the 3 holed sleeves. This makes for a VERY tight fit in  cases. I have found polyurethane storage sleeves with a 3 hole binder setup, but I am hesitant on using this physical medium in direct contact with some of the older autographs. From everything I have read mylar seems to be the preferred the storage medium for long term archival storage.

• I have been warned to be careful with using a 3 ring binder as pieces can slide out of the 3 ring binder sleeves and get damaged if not properly handled.

I have been thinking about the idea of using hanging file folders as an alternative to a 3 ring binder. This would allow me to easily sort and categorize the collection and seems to be a safer bet physically for the pieces. It is not quite as compact as the 3 rind binder option but it does remove some of the issues noted in the above bullet points.

I appreciate any thoughts on this topic (binder versus hanging file folders) or any other ideas that collectors have used in storing their autographs.

Storage of Cuts:

I have been looking at the idea of trying to come up with a standard way to store my autograph cuts, which come in an array of different sizes and shapes. The traditional method of storing the cut along with a photo (preferentially vintage) of the artist is the one that most appeals me off hand. Are there any other suggestions or methods that collectors here have found that works well for the storage of cuts?

Cataloging:

I have been going through a fair bit of research in trying to find the right software to catalog my collection. I am looking for a number of features in what I want, including the ability to record:

• A digital image of the piece
• person (seller), date and location on which a piece was obtained
• purchase price
• fair market value 
• provenance information (including the ability to attached digital supporting info)
• assign a catalog number for sake of tracking each item

Options here range from something as simple as an Excel spreadsheet to desktop software (have not found anything I like here) to web based applications like Omeka or Collective Access. It becomes difficult to find a software package that supports all of these features or fields for which I am looking. Aside from the tried and true means of a spreadsheet, are there any software packages that folks might suggest for a large autograph cataloging project? Any feedback on web based solutions would be of particular interest.

My thanks for any ideas or general feedback on this topic. I am trying to think through how I want to approach this large project before just jumping in and then changing process or direction, so any random thoughts on the topic are welcome and appreciated.