Hello Family Historians,
Did you know that family history records—for that matter any computer data, songs, photos, etc—may be lost on your CD or DVD media within 3-5 years, despite claims to the contrary? Files stored on CD and DVD media may degrade over time, primarily due to the relatively unstable material used to create the discs and the “burn technology” used to inscribe or store records on the media.
What would it be like to access a CD or DVD you’ve created, only to discover that all your family history research, photos, scanned keepsakes, etc cannot be opened? I have several hundred photos, over 5,000 individual records in my PAF database, and scores of research files on DVDs and an external hard drive devoted solely to family history. But, what about long term file storage? Technology will change over time, but how can I safely archive my family history until the next generation of software and storage media comes along?
According to Utah’s Daily Herald, “On Sept. 1, Millenniata, a start-up company based in Springville, will release a new archive disk technology to preserve data at room temperature for 1,000 years. It's like writing onto gold plates or chiseling information into stone.” Like all new technology, the new “Millennial Disk” and writer will be expensive and limited in distribution at first; but, over time, prices will come down for the general public. Stay tuned.
To read about this exciting new technology, select the following link:
http://heraldextra.com/news/local/article_b25c9a30-7242-11de-9feb-001cc4c03286.html
Remember, families are forever, but recordkeeping is temporal in this imperfect world. Technology changes and so must your archiving. Don’t be caught with corrupted files on obsolete media. Like Moroni and the prophets of old, your children, grandchildren and descendants are depending upon you to preserve the record for generations to come.
Catch the spirit of Elijah!
Sincerely,
D. Williamson
Family History Consultant
Did you know that family history records—for that matter any computer data, songs, photos, etc—may be lost on your CD or DVD media within 3-5 years, despite claims to the contrary? Files stored on CD and DVD media may degrade over time, primarily due to the relatively unstable material used to create the discs and the “burn technology” used to inscribe or store records on the media.
What would it be like to access a CD or DVD you’ve created, only to discover that all your family history research, photos, scanned keepsakes, etc cannot be opened? I have several hundred photos, over 5,000 individual records in my PAF database, and scores of research files on DVDs and an external hard drive devoted solely to family history. But, what about long term file storage? Technology will change over time, but how can I safely archive my family history until the next generation of software and storage media comes along?
According to Utah’s Daily Herald, “On Sept. 1, Millenniata, a start-up company based in Springville, will release a new archive disk technology to preserve data at room temperature for 1,000 years. It's like writing onto gold plates or chiseling information into stone.” Like all new technology, the new “Millennial Disk” and writer will be expensive and limited in distribution at first; but, over time, prices will come down for the general public. Stay tuned.
To read about this exciting new technology, select the following link:
http://heraldextra.com/news/local/article_b25c9a30-7242-11de-9feb-001cc4c03286.html
Remember, families are forever, but recordkeeping is temporal in this imperfect world. Technology changes and so must your archiving. Don’t be caught with corrupted files on obsolete media. Like Moroni and the prophets of old, your children, grandchildren and descendants are depending upon you to preserve the record for generations to come.
Catch the spirit of Elijah!
Sincerely,
D. Williamson
Family History Consultant
