But unlike physical books and photo albums, it is by no means a given that digital files will still be there or be accessible in 25, 50 or 100 years, just as you can’t leave a photo album on the balcony and expect it to be intact many years later. The moral of the story is this: you must take care of your digital assets. But it’s not always obvious how to do it in a way that is sustainable in the long term.
How do experts who work to preserve all types of information for the future do it? Do you have any advice for us mere mortals?
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Ina-Maria Jansson is a researcher and archivist at Uppsala University Library working on the preservation of personal digital archives. She says there’s one important thing to keep in mind for anyone who wants to ensure their loved ones can enjoy their digital collections, in addition to the choice of storage media, file formats, and how backups should be handled:
Document everything! What seems obvious to you may be a jungle for your closest family members. Write down exactly what is in your digital file and create an index to describe the contents of your folders and files. Label hard drives and other storage media with their contents. Inform those who will be your closest relatives that the documentation and files exist and make it easy for them to find the documentation.
He points out that a common mistake that many individuals make is not considering that their closest relatives may not share the same interest in those files.
Digital material requires active management that is difficult to avoid, regardless of the measures taken. Will children and grandchildren have the time and energy to take on digital management when they are busy living their own lives? To make things easier, it is important to explain the content as clearly as possible: what it is and why it is important. If possible, it is best to review the content with your children and grandchildren well in advance, so they know it exists.
put it in writing
Ina-Maria Jansson wants to defend the physical or analog archive of the most important photographs and documents.
We humans are often more primitive than we would like to admit. If something is not visible, it does not exist! Because digital photographs and videos don’t take up the same physical space and aren’t as easy to view as a box of photo albums, they are easily forgotten during a move or when cleaning out a property.
Creating physical copies of photographs and other items you really appreciate makes them last longer, as long as you take proper care of them! – and easier for your loved ones to preserve and appreciate.
For those who want peace of mind, I would advise against storing things digitally unless you are sure that a surviving relative will want to continue managing the digital collection. Instead, select paper copies of your best photographs and place them in acid-free paper sleeves along with the details.
Turkish Sami
Ina-Maria Jansson recognizes that video is more complicated than photographs. But if you have some really treasured movies that you think your descendants might enjoy, there’s a way to preserve them in analog format, too.
