Everyone has digital files, but making sure they're still usuable in 5 or 10 years is a challenge. Based on the Digital Preservation curriculum from the Library of Congress, this presentation will illustrate ways in which we can ensure our files remain accessible. It breaks the process down into six steps with an eye towards long term, digital preservation of personal files. Though aimed at university faculty, the presentation is accessible to all.

1. +
Personal Digital Archiving
Michael Paulmeno
Head of Discovery Services

2. or…
how to manage your digital
life!

3. + Why Are We Here?
 We all have digital files
 We want to be able to access our stuff in 5 -10 years
 Yet we all have so much stuff

4. +
Analog issues
Nothing lasts forever.

6. User:Jiří Janíček (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plesnive_knihy_-_megaplisen.JPG),
„Plesnive knihy - megaplisen“, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/legalcode

10. +
Digital issues
More fragile than we think
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tseedmund/3088146403/

12. http://thekuipers.org/images/IMG_2279.jpg

16. +
How Digital Files Go Bad
Stored on fragile media
Bitloss
Physical damage
Outdated file formats

17. +
What You Can Do
Digital preservation
Electronic materials need to be cared
for; no benign neglect

18. Identify
Select
Store
Protect
Manage
Provide

19. Word of the day…
Organize

20. Identify
Select
Store
Protect
Manage
Provide

23. +
Where are your documents?
Locate all of your photos, manuscripts, notes
Camera, computers, memory cards, flash
drives, web sites (Dropbox, etc)
What other kinds of things are important
to save?
E-mails, research data, portfolio

24. Identify
Select
Store
Protect
Manage
Provide

25. +
Which are important to save?
Pick the most important
Which things have long term value?
Do not keep everything
Space and time are limited

26. +
Metadata? What’s that?
Label your files
Descriptive file names are best
Tag photos with names, places, or other
meaningful information
Use meaningful folder structures

27. +
What kind of files do you have?
Lossy vs. lossless images
Archival files
Access copies
Open vs proprietary format
txt files vs. Word documents

28. +
Common File Types
 JPEG – Compressed format, lossy but smaller
 PDF – Stores all text, fonts, graphics, etc need
to display a file
 TXT – File made up mostly of plain text
 MP3 – Compressed, lossy format for audio files
 MP4 – Common multimedia file format for
videos

29. +
Other File Types
PST – Data file for Microsoft Outlook
PAGES – File created by Apple Pages
JPEG 2000 – Lossless, good archival format
TIFF – uncompressed & lossless but large

30. Identify
Select
Store
Protect
Manage
Provide

31. +
Get Things Organized
Create a meaningful directory structure for
your files
Group like things together
How will you want to find things in the future?
Record the structure and a description of the
items in writing

32. +
Keep Things Organized
Start now and be diligent in the future
Gradually deal with your backlog
Make a commitment to yourself

33. +
Choose A Storage Medium
External hard drives
Other computers
Cloud storage services (Amazon S3, Azure
Storage, etc) → requires third party software

34. +
What is NOT a Backup
Dropbox
Google Drive
One Drive
CDs
Shared drive

35. +
Automated Cloud Backup
Package deal – storage and a program to
use
Allows for easy off-site backup
Usually set-and-forget
Many options to choose from

41. Identify
Select
Store
Protect
Manage
Provide

42. +
Protecting Your Data
LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe)
Where is everything stored?
 3-2-1 rule
 Keep track of backup copies

43. +
Protecting Your Data (Cont’d)
At what intervals are backups made?
How are files organized?
Incremental backup or complete?
Store the inventory list with your important
papers in a secure place

44. +
Automated Cloud Backup
Test the system
Look at the details when signing up
Do you have access to the original files?
What about encryption?

45. +
The Bottom Line
Get organized
Have a plan
Multiple strategies
Test to see if you can restore

46. Identify
Select
Store
Protect
Manage
Provide

47. +
Periodically check things out
Spot check at least once a year to make sure
the files are still readable
Create copies onto new media at least every
five years

48. +
Other considerations
Software versioning is problematic
Think about how you may use the
information in the future
Can you use someone else’s infrastructure
and expertise?

49. Identify
Select
Store
Protect
Manage
Provide

50. +
Sharing your files
Create access copy, preserve original
CD/flash drive fine as a transport medium
Email not so great…
Can share large files via cloud service

51. +
Rights and Management
http://creativecommons.org
• Consider copyright issues
• May be a concern with manuscripts
and e-mail

52. +
Moving from analog to digital
Consider scanning old files for access and
preservation
Create directory structure before you embark
on project
A little planning goes a long way

53. +
Scanning your analog images
Use appropriate resolution
Save as TIFF for an archival image
JPEG 2000 also acceptable as master

54. +
After you scan
Master files and derivative images
 Do not do adjustments on your archival files
 Work on a copy. Always.
Use precision controls when possible

55. +
Consider a Commercial Service
Saves time
Ensures professional quality
Do research and compare services

56. +
In summary…
Make conscious choices
Don’t keep things you don’t need
A little organization goes a long way
Think through process from beginning
to end
Start now!

57. +
Resources
• Library of Congress Personal Archiving;
http://www.digitalpreservation.gov/personalarchi
ving/
• File Info Extension Database - http://fileinfo.com/
• US Copyright Office - http://www.copyright.gov/
• Cornell Legal Information Institute (Intellectual
Property section) -
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/intellectual_property

58. Questions and Discussion
http://michaelpaulmeno.com