ILovePhotos and Picasa: Free programs to keep your photos organized

It's hard to imagine the degree to which the internet and personal computers have changed photography. Once upon a time (about ten years ago), hard copy photos were treasured keepsakes. They were irreplaceable, and families would often come together or fall apart over the distribution of favorite snapshots.

In my house, this was a particularly difficult thing. After my parents died, some of my relatives descended upon my family's collection of old pictures and, under the pretense of "making copies," began to abscond with original photos. I managed to hold onto a few keepsakes, but many of my originals have become lost to the fleet fingers of fellow family historians.