What Households Found When They Sat Down With Their Collections
Notes from families who have worked with us — on what the process was like and what they came away with.
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Households Served
4.8
Average Satisfaction
7 yrs
In Practice
96%
Project Completion
From Families Who Have Worked With Us
Tan Chew Mei
Georgetown, Penang
We came to the workshop without a clear picture of what archiving even meant for a household. My mother brought three pieces of jewelry from my late grandmother's collection, and by the end of the session we had labeled each one properly and taken photographs we were actually confident in. The manual has been useful at home — I have cataloged another fourteen items since.
Heirloom Cataloging Workshop · April 2025
Ahmad Mazlan
Balik Pulau, Penang
The Family Album Project took six weeks from first session to delivery, which I thought was reasonable. My household has a lot of letters and documents in Jawi that I had no idea how to incorporate into any kind of record. The team handled them as part of the catalog without any difficulty. The finished album is something I look at regularly.
Family Album Project · March 2025
Lim Nee Yen
Tanjung Tokong, Penang
I attended the workshop with my sister, which worked well — we both came away with the same understanding of the process. The session was longer than I expected, which was not a problem but worth knowing. The label kit is good quality. I would have liked slightly more time on the photography portion, though I understand that would require a separate session.
Heirloom Cataloging Workshop · April 2025
Ramaiah Krishnan
Penang Hill area
We have been on the subscription for fourteen months. The quarterly visits are efficient — the team arrives prepared, knows the existing catalog, and adds new items in a way that fits with what is already there. The annual note at the end of the year is a small thing but it is something we have read together as a family.
Household Archive Subscription · Ongoing since Feb 2024
Siti Farhana
Bukit Mertajam, Penang
What I noticed most was how unhurried the sessions were. The team did not rush us through decisions about what to include. My grandmother has a camphor chest with no clear provenance and a set of photographs with no dates on them — the process of writing descriptions actually surfaced information I had not thought to mention, and it is now in the catalog.
Family Album Project · January 2025
Wong Hock Seng
Air Itam, Penang
We completed the Family Album Project in February and the album was delivered on the day of the final session, which I appreciated. My main suggestion would be for a slightly longer initial survey session — we had more material than expected and had to make some quick decisions about scope. The final result is well organized and the photographs are clear.
Family Album Project · February 2025
Three Household Projects in Detail
Cataloging a Mixed-Medium Collection Across Three Languages
The Situation
A household with approximately eighty objects spanning four generations — ceramics, textiles, carved furniture, correspondence in Baba Malay and English, and a tin of loose photographs with no dates or labels. The family had no existing record of any kind and was uncertain where to begin.
What We Did
Family Album Project across four sessions held at the household's home in George Town. First session prioritized the textiles and ceramics, which the household identified as most at risk. Correspondence was transcribed and included as descriptive notes. Undated photographs were grouped by visual evidence of era and described accordingly.
The Outcome
Sixty-three objects documented across four sessions. Printed album delivered with contents page organized by material type and generation. The household subsequently enrolled in the subscription to continue adding pieces acquired after the project's completion.
"The photographs were the thing that mattered most to us. We thought we would never be able to put names to them. The process got us closer than we expected."
Workshop Followed by Independent Cataloging Over Eight Months
The Situation
A rural household with objects accumulated over five generations, including agricultural tools, religious items, and handmade textiles. The family wanted to learn the process themselves rather than have it done for them — they anticipated the collection would continue growing for many years.
What We Did
Half-day workshop attended by three family members. The session covered descriptive note conventions with particular attention to objects whose provenance was oral rather than documented. The cataloging manual was adapted with supplementary pages for the specific object categories the family held.
The Outcome
In the eight months following the workshop, the family independently cataloged forty-one objects using the manual and label set. They returned for a half-day review session to check their descriptions for consistency. The catalog is maintained by two members of the younger generation.
"The manual is the part we use most. It told us exactly how to write a description that someone who has never seen the object would still understand."
Family Album Project to Support an Estate Settlement
The Situation
Following the passing of a family elder, siblings needed to organize and record the personal property held in a Georgetown shophouse before the estate could be settled. The collection included several decades of accumulated objects with no documentation and strong disagreement among siblings about what certain items were.
What We Did
Family Album Project with sessions at the shophouse. We photographed and described each object as it was — without making judgments about value or ownership. Where siblings had different information about an item's origin, both accounts were included as separate descriptive notes. We did not engage in the settlement process itself.
The Outcome
Fifty-eight objects recorded in the album, with each item photographed from multiple angles. The album provided a shared reference that all siblings could consult, which reduced — though did not eliminate — disagreement about descriptions. Three copies of the printed album were produced, one for each sibling household.
"Having a physical record that all of us agreed was accurate made certain conversations much easier. We would not have been able to produce that ourselves."
Reach Us Directly
Telephone
+60 4-264 7392Studio
Suite 4A, Lebuh Pantai
10300 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Studio Hours
Monday – Friday: 9:00 am – 5:30 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Sunday & Public Holidays: Closed
Sessions by appointment.
Professional Affiliations & Recognition
Penang Heritage Trust
Community Practice Recognition, 2022, for contributions to household heritage documentation in the George Town World Heritage Site area.
Malaysian Library Association
Affiliate member. Active participant in regional archival and information science practice development.
Penang Monthly, April 2024
Featured in a profile on household heritage practices and archival education in the Penang region.
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