Mission

The mission of LenaSalina is to teach people how to preserve their photographs, artifacts and memorabilia to create a legacy for future generations.  At the heart of preservation is storytelling.  We think every life matters and it’s important to tell our stories, whether that’s through documents, photographs, and objects, or through writing, video or audio recordings.

Free Lectures

LenaSalina holds one hour introductory sessions that teaches people the basics of preservation.  Between the presentation, the handouts, and access to our website, participants should be able to go home and start to take steps that will ensure the longest life for their materials.  These lectures are free and open to the public and are being held at local libraries in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  If you would like to schedule a free seminar for your group, please contact me at Rhonda@LenaSalina.com.

One Day Workshops

Those who want more in-depth learning and get hands-on training, can attend a one-day workshop where more detailed knowledge of how to preserve specific items will be provided.  Participants are asked to bring a photo album from home that’s in disrepair and in need of help.  These photographs will be transferred to a new, archives quality, photo album included in the price of admission.

Books

My first book, Secrets From The Stacks, should be out sometime in 2022.  This book will teach people what to do with the items they already have stored in closets, basements, hope chests and attics; how to digitize everything and what to do with born digital materials; and will discuss storytelling; including how to create legacy books, give or do an oral history, create a video history, write a biography, autobiography, family history or memoir.

How the name LenaSalina came to be…

The name LenaSalina comes from my grandmother, Lena and my great-grandmother (Lena’s mother), Salina.  In fact, Salina should be pronounced Sa-“line”-a.  But, Lena/Sa-“leen”-a sounds better.  My older sister and I had both independently come up with the name to be used for various businesses we had dreamed of owning.  Mine was a tea shop, hers a quilt store.  All these years later, as I started to put together this business, the name seemed to be the most appropriate one to use.  Originally, the business was called Preserving the Past.  But that name was taken by someone else and I needed to come up with a unique identity.  Three Sisters was another title I thought of using because sets of three sisters dominates our family.  My sisters and I are three, Lena and her sisters were three, my mother (Lena’s daughter) were three sisters, and my father also had three sisters.  Salina doubled the number; there were six sisters in her family.  We decided against Three Sisters because that name was less unique and LenaSalina with its connection with family and personal history was more appropriate for a business whose business is to help people and families preserve their family legacies and traditions.