Personal Archiving; Start Today
Cover art for book
My review of this book
Digital Personal Archiving is not now something for tomorrow, it is for TODAY. Each of us should consider what we have in our life that we would like to preserve for the future. This book is an excellent beginning point. I am reviewing this book as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer and am finding it every bit as useful and easy to read as I hoped and expected it to be. Because of my passion for family history and genealogy, my interest is not an idle interest... it is very live and active.
Do you have as many family photos and documents as I have? Personally, I have nearly 75 years worth, plus many left by my parents and their parents, to consider. I've made a number of attempts to organize and preserve, but have still come up short. This book is giving me new hope that what I have done is not lost. This book is providing additional ideas, processes and services, some new in just the past year or so, that I will now want to consider as I continue to review my challenge.
Has your local library offered programs on Personal Archiving? The Library of Congress, I read in an early chapter, for example, not only has provided a wealth of information on their website for individuals, like you and me, but is also working closely with local libraries across the country to encourage greater and wider participation in Personal Archiving. I hope you will consider participating as well.
Later chapters in the book add academic research and case studies that are very useful to many of us with special interests. Are you one of those? If you are, this information is for you. If not, the first several chapters are worth getting the book, anyway. I hope you get it and enjoy as much as I have. And, let's each put it to use, as well.
Preserve Family Photos
Personal archiving begins, I believe, with preservation of your family photos. Do you have family photos of your own family, your parents' family, your grandparents' family or further back. You need to take action, now, to record and preserve these memories.
The books recommended on this page are a great way to start doing this.