Re: notebook in the attic, one of the things I've recommended historical societies do is conduct public scanning days so that individuals/families can preserve their pics and docs and at the same time share them in a curated collection with DPLA (dp.la), Digital Public Library of America. Few organizations are interested. I've never expected them to drop everything to do it, but I at least expect them to contemplate broader community engagement, increasing membership, generating interest in families beyond those already interested in genealogy, etc.