Scanning my journals is taking too long

[Citygirl]

Hi, further to my previous post I have decided to scan my journals and then get rid of the books but it is taking so long. I don't have a fast scanner, its a scanner copier and printer in one and just scanning one page takes ages. I don't think I can see this project through, its not just as if I have a couple of books to scan! If I give up on this project I still don't know what to do with the journals, I don't want to just get rid of them altogether, I can't afford to pay for storage outside of my home and I do worry about privacy.

As for current and future journals, I still like writing in my current journal but I find I am typing on the laptop aswell even though it doesn't feel the same because I worry about privacy.

[decemberlov]

You should be able to find a printing company to scan them. I work for one and my digital copier can feed them through the top super quick and convert them into a pdf document. I would call a few places and see. Should cost much either literally its just a click of a button.

[Gardenarian]

Hi -
Your local library may have a fast scanner for public use, or they could direct you to a library that does. (I work at a library and we have an excellent super-fast scanner.)

I used to have a big stack of journals too. I decided my journals had to much negative energy and I shredded them all. It really felt like a weight off my shoulders.

[Citygirl]

Hi, thanks for your replies. I have considered the idea of using a printing company. I live in the UK and when I've searched online they seem to business type printing companies so I don't know if they would do anything private like my journals. I know that our city library has a photocopier but don't know about a scanner, I would have to ask. It would be handy if I could get the journals scanned quickly as doing it myself is going to be labourious.

I really want to keep a record of my old journals and just type up future ones on my laptop, even if it doesn't feel the same as writing in a lovely book, I know I will have more peace of mind if they are password protected on a hard drive.

I can't get PDF files on my laptop by the way so I don't know if that would pose a problem.

[creaker]

Unless you have intricate drawings or really tiny writing, you could try lowering the dpi of the scan, it might go faster.

[SteveinMN]

I can't get PDF files on my laptop by the way so I don't know if that would pose a problem.
?? You don't have a PDF reader on your laptop or ... ??

[Citygirl]

I have Adobe Reader on my laptop but when I scan something to PDF it doesn't show in the file. I can scan to TIFF or JPEG and then it comes out OK.

[Spoony]

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[bunnys]

I teach history. Your journals are historical documents. Even if they never end up being of any significance to anyone but you.

I attended a history grant this past year. We read the journals of a former governor of Virginia. He had kept hand written journals on legal pads for 60 years or so of his life. We read several excerpts including his eyewitness account of watching a lynching. It was chilling and interesting.

At some point, your descendants may want to donate them to your state's historical society as a social document of the decades in which you wrote them from someone in your socio-economic class.

Don't worry about privacy. You can make certain your descendants don't donate or make sure they remain locked until all your children are dead or some date a certain number of years after your death.

I know this sounds absurd but it's actually interesting to many historians.

[Citygirl]

Thats a good idea Bunnys and I am researching my own family history but I wouldn't want anyone to read my journals, even close family members. If they were a record of events it would be different but my raw emotions and some criticisms are recorded which I wouldn't want anyone to read.