I've done the dig. I've rolled up my sleeves and removed piles upon piles of old photographs, inspecting each one carefully, hoping to uncover a gem. It was, at one point, a Sunday past-time. Trudging through flea market and antique store bins, some of them poignantly labeled "Instant Ancestors Found Here."

My sister happened upon the collector's bug by accident. I was jealous when she snuck into a fire-eaten barn in the Kansas countryside, only with the intention to come out alive with a story to tell. Amidst the ruins, she discovered tubs and tubs of moth-eaten photographs, daguerreotypes, and old deeds. She was tempted to rescue the photos, but the only thing she kept was the story.

Other People's Pictures, a documentary about folks who pick through old, abandoned photos, chronicles the collector's hunt. Enjoy this free event at the Jefferson Market Branch, New York Public Library (425 Avenue of the Americas at 10th Street) at 6 PM.