It’s a little overwhelming to think about the amount of digital media that I possess/have generated but haven’t taken steps to preserve. This class has been a great learning experience in so many ways, and digital preservation is one of the key concepts it’s taught me to appreciate. I’ve often wondered what technology will be like in the future, having already seen it evolve such a great deal in my own lifetime–from cassettes, VHS tapes, and Macintosh computers to CDs/MP3, DVDs, and ipads. I don’t often think anymore about the old VHS tapes I used to watch; if I don’t decide to buy them on DVD, I imagine they will have become largely archaic in just a few more years. A small part of my childhood will vanish, will be forgotten. How have I not considered what will happen to the pictures, documents, websites, and other digital media that I use now?

Maybe one reason I’ve been nonchalant about preserving my digital media is simply ignorance. I hadn’t really stopped to consider the fact that the formats I use now have the potential to become obsolete at any time; they’re not going to last forever, just like my VHS tapes. While I’ve been intending to back up my picture files (which I made note of in an earlier blog post but regrettably have yet to do), I hadn’t really thought about how to save e-mails and music files.

The Library of Congress devotes a portion of its website to describing the steps one can take to preserve digital media; it’s a great resource. The “Personal Archiving: Preserving Your Digital Memories” page provides an excellent summary of techniques for saving digital pictures, audio, video, and documents. It’s something I’m going to share with my family (especially my brother, because he helps my parents with a lot of their computer issues) and some of my friends. As identified by the Library of Congress, my family can begin taking some practical steps to preserve our memories, and hopefully it will become a life-long habit:

1. identify what we want to save
2. decide what is most important to us
3. organize the content (i.e.–into a file called “Our Archive” with sub-folders)
4. save copies in different formats (i.e.–a hard drive, in print, and online), and move at least one copy to a different physical location
5. manage our archive (move contents to a new drive at least every 5 years)

These steps are useful for virtually all types of digital media, especially the four that my family uses most often*:

Photographs

1. identify pictures on cameras, memory cards, computers, and online
2. save the photography of highest quality if there are multiple copies of an image
3. label each photograph to be saved and put it in the appropriate Archive sub-folder; describe the photos and folders
4. save copies in different formats (i.e.–a hard drive, in print, and/or online)
5. check to make sure photographs are readable at least once a year

Audio

1. identify audio files on phones, computers, memory cards, DVDs, CDs, and those on audio software; make sure they are in an open file format
2. pick the most important recordings and save the one of highest quality if there are multiple copies of a recording
3. export the files (using the “save as” command or by automatically exporting them); save them in an open file format; save metadata for each recording, including the date it was exported; label/describe each recording and put it in the appropriate Archive sub-folder
4. save copies in different formats (i.e.–a hard drive, in print, and/or online)
5. check to make sure recordings are readable at least once a year

Personal Documents

1. identify documents on computers, flash drives, CDs, floppy disks, and online
2. determine whether to save drafts of important documents with the final copies
3. label each document and put it in the appropriate Archive sub-folder; describe the documents and folders
4. save copies in different formats (i.e.–a hard drive, in print, and/or online)
5. check to make sure documents are readable at least once a year

E-mail

1. identify all e-mail accounts and folders within those accounts, including “archived” messages
2. save attachments that are part of selected messages
3. export the messages (using the “save as” command or by automatically exporting them); save them in an open file format; save metadata for each message, including the message “header”/subject and the date it was exported; label/describe each message and put it in the appropriate Archive sub-folder
4. save copies in different formats (i.e.–a hard drive, in print, and/or online)
5. check to make sure messages are readable at least once a year

(*I should also investigate the Library of Congress’ suggestions for preserving websites, like this blog and my Facebook page).

One of the things that really struck me was the sheer volume of digital media that I alone possess; my family’s total record would be massive. While preserving digital media provides many new challenges, the basic principle behind it is the same as that utilized by archivists pouring through 2-D documents and photographs (and a concept practiced by all of us in our everyday lives): you just can’t keep everything. While you may never know what might be of importance to future generations, you have to make decisions as to what you think will be the most relevant (and/or what you’d most like to be remembered), and trust that they will piece the rest together. If we are willing to put in the time and effort it will take to preserve our digital pasts, we’ll be much more likely to access and enjoy the memories for years to come.