Advice on how to backup my photo library?

I need to clear some space off of my computer. I have a lot of photos and videos in iPhoto, organized mostly by events. I'd like to move some of the older events off onto my external hard drive, but I'm not sure of the best way to do this. I know I can export each event by hand and save the files through the finder, but that's a lot of work. I was hoping for some easy way to keep them organized by events. I know that if I select a bunch of events and burn them to a DVD it keeps the organization, but I don't know how to do that to move it to an external drive. Can I make a disk image or something? Any advice on how to do that? Thanks!

In addition to Terence's backup suggestions it's wise to backup your daily organizational effort within the library, i.e. changes to books, calendars, new imports, etc. This can be done frequently like you would use the Save command in those applications that have that feature. I'm referring to saving the Library6.iPhoto database file from within the iPhoto LIbrary package. It is the heart and soul of the library. See the tip at then end of my signature below on how to do this.
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto (iPhoto.Library for iPhoto 5 and earlier) database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've created an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger or later), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. It's compatible with iPhoto 6 and 7 libraries and Tiger and Leopard. Just put the application in the Dock and click on it whenever you want to backup the dB file. iPhoto does not have to be closed to run the application, just idle. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.
Note: There's now an Automator backup application for iPhoto 5 that will work with Tiger or Leopard.

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