U.S. National Archives’ advice on preserving your digital memories
The National Archives has spent numerous hours evaluating their options for preserving recent history that is mostly comprised of digital documents, recordings and photography. While the consumer market has been swayed by manufacturers’ claims to believe their own family archives are safely stored when recorded on DVDs, the National Archives has a different stance:
“CD/DVD experiential life expectancy is 2 to 5 years even though published life expectancies are often cited as 10 years, 25 years, or longer. However, a variety of factors discussed in the sources cited in FAQ 15, below, may result in a much shorter life span for CDs/DVDs. Life expectancies are statistically based; any specific medium may experience a critical failure before its life expectancy is reached. Additionally, the quality of your storage environment may increase or decrease the life expectancy of the media. We recommend testing your media at least every two years to assure your records are still readable.”
National Archives Website
Sadly, most people don’t know this. Tell your friends before they lose their important memories. Let them know there’s a better, less risky way to preserve their family history.
Tags: archival, archive, backing up, backup, digital pictures, digital storage, digital video, personal data
Cranberry, Cranberry Venture Partners, Society, Technology | Joe Beaulaurier | 
October 13, 2009 7:17 pm
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