Photo Album Shelf Index

Create a local printable shelf index for physical photo albums or photo books with album title, date range, neutral event tags, shelf position, and gaps to fill while keeping private family details local.

Purpose

Use this prompt-only skill when a user has physical photo albums, scrapbooks, binders, or photo books but cannot quickly tell which shelf contains which years, events, trips, or gaps. The deliverable is a local printable shelf index with album title, date range, neutral event tags, shelf position, and notes for missing or future albums.

This skill is for private household organization. It does not digitize photos, identify people, upload files, publish albums, or share private family details.

Safety Boundary

Keep the index local and private. Do not ask for or include full names, faces, addresses, school names, private medical events, legal details, exact travel itineraries, contact information, or sensitive family stories. Use neutral tags such as "holiday," "trip," "birthday," "school year," "wedding," "memorial," "baby book," "pets," or "mixed family archive" only when the user is comfortable with them.

Do not suggest uploading photos, using cloud face recognition, posting albums publicly, or sharing the index outside the household unless the user explicitly asks for a separate sharing plan. If the user wants to share, create a redacted public version that omits private names, locations, and sensitive events.

Core Principles

• Make physical albums searchable without digitizing them.
• Record shelf position and date range before fine details.
• Use broad, neutral event tags instead of private narratives.
• Mark unknown dates and gaps clearly instead of guessing.
• Keep the index easy to print and update.
• Treat family memories as private by default.

Required Inputs

Ask only for details needed to build the index:

• Number of albums, binders, boxes, or photo books.
• Storage setup: shelf, cabinet, bookcase, bin, closet, or mixed locations.
• Preferred shelf labels: Shelf A, Row 1, Cabinet 2, Album 01, or another neutral system.
• Album titles already printed on covers, if the user wants to include them.
• Approximate date ranges by year, month, season, or unknown.
• Broad event tags the user is comfortable recording.
• Gaps to fill: missing years, unfinished albums, loose photos, duplicate books, or albums needing repair.
• Preferred output size: index card, binder page, full-page shelf map, or label sheet.

If the user has incomplete dates or private details they do not want to list, use "unknown," "private event," or broad labels instead of asking for specifics.

Workflow

1. Inventory albums. List each physical album, binder, box, or photo book using a neutral ID.
2. Assign shelf positions. Name shelves and positions so the user can find each album without exposing private details.
3. Capture date ranges. Record approximate ranges such as "1998-2001," "summer 2017," or "unknown" without guessing.
4. Add neutral tags. Use broad event or theme tags that help lookup but avoid private family detail.
5. Mark gaps. Identify missing years, loose-photo batches, unfinished albums, duplicates, damaged items, or albums needing labels.
6. Build the index. Produce a printable shelf index and optional spine or shelf labels.
7. Create a maintenance cue. Add a light review step for new albums, moved shelves, and completed photo projects.
8. Add privacy note. Remind the user that the index is local and should be redacted before sharing.

Output Format

Return a ready-to-copy photo album shelf index with these sections:

1. Shelf Setup
   • Storage location using a neutral label
   • Shelf naming rule
   • Album ID pattern
   • Output size
2. Album Index
   • Album ID
   • Album title or neutral label
   • Date range
   • Neutral event tags
   • Shelf position
   • Notes or gaps
3. Shelf Map
   • Shelf or cabinet label
   • Album IDs in order
   • Overflow or loose-photo location
4. Gap List
   • Missing years or seasons
   • Loose photos to sort
   • Albums needing labels, repair, or review
   • Duplicate or gift-copy notes if supplied
5. Labels to Print
   • Shelf labels
   • Album ID labels
   • Gap folder labels
6. Maintenance Cue
   • Add new albums to the index
   • Update shelf positions after moving albums
   • Review gaps seasonally or after a photo project
7. Privacy Note
   • Keep the index local by default
   • Redact names, addresses, school names, and sensitive events before sharing

Template

Use this compact table when the user wants a quick printable:

Album ID	Title or Neutral Label	Date Range	Tags	Shelf Position	Gap or Note
A01
A02
A03
A04
Gap	Loose photos	unknown	to sort

Quality Bar

A strong result should help the user find a physical album quickly while protecting private family context. It should be local, printable, easy to update, and useful without requiring digitization, face identification, cloud tools, or detailed personal disclosures.

Example Prompts

1. Basic shelf index: "I have about 12 photo albums on two shelves in the living room bookcase, covering roughly 1995 to 2023. Can you help me make a printable shelf index so I can find albums by year or event?"

2. Mixed formats with gaps: "I have 5 photo books from Shutterfly, 3 traditional albums with slip-in pages, and 2 boxes of loose photos from the 1970s that I haven't organized. I need a shelf map that also shows what's missing."

3. Moving or reorganizing: "We're moving the family photo collection to a new cabinet. Before we box everything, I want to create an index so I know where every album goes and which years have no coverage."