The prompt of ‘Preserve’ has me thinking about how
we, as family historians, can preserve the documents, photographs and other
items we possess for future generations.
As technology evolves and changes,
new storage methods are developed and older methods become obsolete. Many of us have come across old
videocassettes, floppy discs and other obsolete storage mediums that we can no longer
easily access – or access at all – that may hold family memories that are
otherwise lost. Maybe cleaning out an
older relative’s house, or tucked away in an archive or repository, or even in
our own homes. A crashed hard drive or
broken smart phone can also result in instant loss of treasured memories.
Moving such treasures onto new
storage mediums before the old once a completely obsolete or deteriorate beyond
saving is something we should constantly consider. Recently I spent several weeks of my space
time converting an old box of slides and negatives into digital photographs
using a device I purchased from a local camera shop. While I still have the slides and negatives –
now stored in more appropriate archival containers – also having digital copies
will help preserve these precious family memories.
Can you imagine losing your treasured family
photos, videos and documents? In the digital age that we live in, it doesn't
just take a natural disaster to wipe your records. How safe are your photos and other
treasures? How prepared are you for a fire, flood or other
catastrophe? How often do you back up your digital photos - and how safe
are your backups? As we accumulate
photos and documents and records as we research our family history, it is
important that we consider how we will preserve these items, even if they are
‘only’ copies. One day the originals may
no longer exist, so even copies need to be preserved.
So take some time to consider the
preservation of the various items you have, physical or digital, and how you
will keep them safe and accessible for the future.
