3 min readPreservation & digitization
Family archives
How private papers, photographs, recordings and digital files become an intelligible record across generations.
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Preserve what mattersSUBJECT COLLECTION · 15 ARTICLES
Preservation & digitization
Start with the material in front of you. Inventory it, describe its context, choose a safe capture method and keep originals connected to their copies.
Begin with these articles
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Create a collection inventory
Turn a box, album or drive into a usable inventory that connects each group of records to its location, context and next action.
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Keep originals after digitizing
Understand why a scan is an access copy of an object, and how to keep the physical original connected to its digital representation.
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Preservation masters and access copies
Separate the files you preserve from the versions you crop, compress, annotate or share.
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File naming for personal archives
Build a predictable naming convention without discarding original names, uncertain dates or the relationships between files.
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Metadata: describe people, places and provenance
Add the minimum information that lets another person understand, locate and responsibly reuse an archival item.
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Build a backup plan for a family archive
Create independent copies, separate their locations and test recovery before you rely on the plan.
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Checksums, fixity and file verification
Understand what a checksum proves, how to compare copies and why playback checks still matter.
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Plan an archive handoff
Write a practical map so an authorized future custodian can find the collection, understand it and continue its care.
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Scan family papers and photographs
Plan a careful capture session, connect scans to originals and check completeness before moving to the next batch.
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Preserve digital photographs and their context
Gather original image files, retain useful versions and keep captions connected after export from a photo library.
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Preserve audio recordings
Keep recordings, descriptions and transcripts connected, and check the sound rather than relying on a filename.
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Preserve home movies and digital video
Inventory footage, preserve the best surviving files and document transfer decisions, sound and sequence.
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Preserve email, websites and online records
Export meaningful digital correspondence and web material while documenting what an export actually contains.
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Choose and document digital file formats
Evaluate formats by information retained, software support and the ability to inspect the result, while keeping original files.
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