(if you’re looking for my beautiful tree it’s at the bottom of this post)
According to the American Library Association, April 26 to May 2, 2020, is Preservation Week. As you know, I’m all about preserving my family photos and other media for generations to come.
But why do we want to do this? Well, let’s first look at where your photos live.
When I started collecting all the things I wanted to preserve, I was surprised where I’d tucked things away. Some of those things I couldn’t even enjoy anymore. You know the ones I mean; VHS tapes, negatives, and cassette tapes. For you, you might also have slides. Do you have some of these things tucked away?
Now let’s get back to why we want to preserve our things? I’m hoping I’m doing it so my family will enjoy them for years to come. Sometimes you wonder if they will, but then when I post an old photo to Facebook or on Instagram, I see all the comments from my children and even my cousin’s children, and I know that “yes” there will be someone that will enjoy them.
To enjoy them is one of the reasons I do this, but it’s also so that I can “disaster-proof” my collection. By digitizing them, I’m protecting them from a lot of things.
Of course, I don’t want any of these things to happen, but having my things digitized gives me peace of mind. Don’t get me wrong; my collection isn’t perfect, but it’s getting there. I work on it a bit each day. (I made a video about how I do that.) I really saw the benefit of doing this when my dad moved from his home to live in the seniors’ facility. By having a digital copy, I could give all the hard copies to my brother Ted, and I could share a digital copy with my other brother Craig.
When you have all your family memorabilia together in one place, this is the next big decision. Are you digitizing it yourself, or are you going to send it out? Sometimes it’s all about dollars and what makes sense. For me, I have access to my FastFoto Scanner and my Flip-Pal, so I did much of the scanning myself. But if that’s not something you want to do, then you can have someone else scan it for you.
For some of my things, I couldn’t digitize them. Such as the VHS tapes, audio cassettes, and negatives, so that’s when I turned to FOREVER Conversion Services. But you may choose to find someone local who can do your scanning, but whoever you want (person or business), be sure to consider a few things. (FOREVER is based in Greenbay, Wi, and the scan everything, photos included)
Once you have things digitized, then you need to decide where you’re going to store them. You can save on your computer and on an external hard drive, but remember that all things have a “life span.” (Did you know that an external hard drive has a life span of 3-5 years?)
So you need to have a 3-2-1 Plan
A 3-2-1 plan is;
- Having at least three copies of your data.
- Storing the copies on two different media.
- Keeping one backup copy offsite.
I have my digital cloud on FOREVER. I’ve chosen FOREVER because I’ve done my research. I found out that FOREVER doesn’t data mine, I pay once for my storage, and then I don’t pay again (so I own it) and because my storage is backed up by the FOREVER Guarantee Fund* I know that FOREVER will preserve my photos for my lifetime plus 100 years. So I’ve actually made my son’s the beneficiaries to my collection. (haha.. whether they want it or not… but I think they do.)
I’m not saying you should do the same, but if you decide to choose another company I want you to be sure and read their Terms and Conditions so you understand what that company can do with your photos and what happens to your photos, should you pass away. In other words, will someone in your family be able to retrieve them?
Here’s my final reason why I preserve my digital collection at FOREVER.
It’s because I want to create things with my photos. Like this tree, which I can have made into a canvas or an acrylic wall hanging. Or I can make copies and send the rest of my family a 5×7 photo. Or I can give them a link, and they can purchase the one I created or just maybe they’ll create something of their own. (You can make your own tree HERE and be sure to check out DEALS so you can save on printing #I’mTheCouponQueen).
But whatever you do make this year the year you get your digital legacy under control and start feeling good about your photos and other media.
*FOREVER Guarantee Fund is a permanent investment fund.
I have a Facebook group called; Getting My Poop In A Group
Note: I am a FOREVER Ambassador so when you choose FOREVER and choose me as your Ambassador I’m here to help you.
The post above contains affiliate links. This means I make a small percentage of the sales via these links. This does not INCREASE the price you pay as a consumer. This is a supplement to my income so I can continue to support The DNA Angel Project and to make donations to the Alzheimer’s’ Society