Clutter of clips

gettingby

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I was a journalist for more than a decade and wrote thousands of stories. The problem is I have kept all of them. I have stacks and boxes of newspapers and magazines that contain my work, and I don't know what to do with them. Not all of them are online, but do I really need a copy of everything I've had published? Honestly, it is too much to even go through, and I can't imagine ever needing them. At the same time, I struggle with the thought of getting rid of my massive stash of published work.

I've been out of journalism for a few years, though, I do write the occasional freelance piece. But I would never turn to my collection in search of clips. I would just use things that are online.

So, what do I do with all this? I'm sure some of you have or had the same problem. I'm not sure why it is so hard for me to just throw these away, but it is. Looking for some help. Thanks.
 

WriterBN

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Get a scanner with a sheet feeder, scan to PDF, and recycle the originals. That way, you have the entire collection archived, but you can print copies as and when you need them.
 

gettingby

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Thanks, guys. It would be great to have them saved electronically, but I really don't want to take the time to go through all of them. The truth is, I will never need any of them again. If I needed clips for some reason, I would use newer ones that can be found online. And even though I don't ever want to go through them, I continue to keep them kind of like a hoarder. I might have to really give myself a push on this one.
 

Director C

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You could pay someone to do it for you.
 

Kudra

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Could you hire an intern, college student and pay them a day's wage to get through the massive piles? Like the others, I shudder at the idea of losing all that hard work, even if logically we know that you're never going to use it.

I did the same for my old clips last year, by the way. I was moving countries, so I basically just scanned most of it and tossed the rest. I know it's likely I won't need to look at that stuff for professional reasons, but maybe one day I'm feeling low, I can go through the body of work I've created and feel a tiny bit proud.

Good luck with whatever you decide!
 

gettingby

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Thanks, everyone. My first thought was that I should get rid of it all, but you have made me think I could end up regretting that. I'm not sure who I could hire to scan everything or how much I would need to pay them. Any ideas on that?
 

henmatth

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Yes, that's right ... scanning and keeping them in electronic files.
That would save time ... but ensure it is also properly organized
and well labeled so you can find them whenever you need it.