In May of 2009 I embarked on an ambitious project to digitize and catalog the Andrea Aranow Textile Documents collection. Comprised of 26,000 pieces of antique textiles and original artwork drawn from sources worldwide, ranging from the 19th to late 20th century. It was used commercially by weavers and surface designers as source of inspiration for both fashion and interior products.The project's goal was to find a permanent home for the collection at an institutional through acquisition in order that it continue to be an important design resource far into the future. By having a collection that was digitized, it was theorized that the collection would be more appealing as a potential acquisition.Prior to starting the project I had a good familiarity with the source material having worked with it for over five years, maintaining it and working with the designers who utilized it. In addition, as the son of the collector (Andrea Aranow), the project was deeply personal and important to me. I wanted to avoid its becoming flat, cold or lifeless in its digital form.This paper attempts to describe my approach and the lessons I learned, both in process and technique, throughout the three year project. Though my approach and background may differ from many in the archiving field I hope my experience proves useful as I strongly believe physical archives can thrive and be utilized in new exciting ways in an increasingly digital world.