Before getting to the technical aspects, this section starts with establishing a value system for how they can craft a more intentional and personal management and archiving system for themselves. The goal here is to create a value system that considers many of the student findings in the Reflection module about their digital materials, while implementing some safeguards based on the Digital Ecosystems module. In this section, they will revisit the many “whys” they noted for what they were saving and storing and use them to determine through lines that can be refined as guides for how they decide what to save and where they save it.
If the worksheet template from the State Library of North Carolina that was linked at the end of the How to use this workshop page was used, this is a time to bring it back out to reference students’ findings from that module.
Creating a Value System
In creating this system, students will, in a small way, be thinking through a curation process for how they will determine the materials and methods for their digital management system. Like librarians, archivists, and exhibit curators, the goal is to be deliberate, thoughtful, and reasonably selective.
Some priorities to consider:
- Privacy vs convenience – what level of control do you need versus instant access from anywhere
- Time and effort to establish and maintain – how much time do you want to commit to establishing and maintaining these systems
- Redundancy – how many copies of an item make you feel secure in case of emergency
- Longevity – what is the timetable on an item, short-term storage or long term
- External access – does anyone besides you need access
Project specific value setting
This article from the Harvard Law School Library Innovation Lab offers excellent questions to help shape the value system. These questions can help in thinking through the priorities for both general digital management and personal digital archive context:
- What is worth keeping? And for how long?
- Is temporary or permanent preservation the goal? Under what conditions does that change?
- What context needs to be preserved for future understanding?
- What items are vital if digital platforms went down, or the items became unavailable through the internet?
- Should these items be available immediately, or unlocked after a certain amount of time?
This value system you create doesn’t need to be set in stone. It’s actually important to revisit it over time to adjust, but more about that in the Sustainable Habits module.
Digital Preservation Basics
With the value system in mind, we can apply some high-level principles. While the treatment of a file may vary, the following broadly can be applied wherever needed.
1. Identify/find the list of digital materials. Start small and with things of importance.
2. Gather the materials to a central place.
3. Organize the files in a descriptive enough manner that you can easily recall what the material is. (example below in the File Naming & Folder Structure section)
4. Back the materials up across enough locations to satisfy your security concerns. (example below in the 3-2-1 Backup Rule section)
5. Maintain the materials over time with periodic checks and file refreshes.
File Managment Practices
Use the practices below to implement the basics of digital preservation.
3-2-1 Backup Rule:
3 – Make 3 copies
2 – Use 2 different types of storage media
1 – Store 1 backup in a different location
Example:
File – Project Outline Text Document
Saved on a local computer (Copy1) + Saved on an external drive (Copy 2) + Saved on a cloud service (Copy 3)
File Naming & Folder Structure
Use clear, unique and descriptive names for files. Here are some ways to accomplish that from the University of Michigan’s Library Guide.
_Keep names short_ (under 25 characters). Long filenames can cause problems for the computer. Abbreviate, truncate, and use acronyms.
_Avoid special characters_, such as: ^ ~ \ / : * ? “ < > | ! # % & $ , . These symbols can indicate specific commands and may cause problems when transferring your files.
_Don’t put spaces in file names_. Use underscores (“new_word”) or camel-casing (“newWord”).
_Start the filename with a date_ for chronological sorting. The recommended format is year-month-day, or “YYYY-MM-DD”
– For example, Nov. 7, 2019, is “2019-11-07”
You could also use a naming structure (date-topic-version) and make your folders intuitive with hierarchies by subject/project
Note on collaborative work:
When working in groups or file sharing, it’s important to remember that not everyone has the same setup and software as you. It’s difficult to share multiple file types when using more complex software, but when working with others, taking the time to determine what file types everyone can view is a good idea for keeping the flow of information smooth.
Create accessible and universal file formats to enhance efficiency in collaborative work. For example, when working in text editing programs, share the file you are editing and maybe a PDF (Portable Document Format) version. Or if working on a spreadsheet, also send a CSV (comma-separated values) file. The Library of Congress keeps an updated webpage on recommended formats. Here’s a link to one of the various resources on that page that breaks down file types.
Extras:
This is a short overview from CNA Insider that mentions some of the topics covered above. It’s not super indepth, but tackles the topic in a quick reminder type of way.
Transition
This was a small-scale practice for building a system for personal digital mangament and archive. The idea is to build it for a simple use-case first and gradually apply it to more files. But the question now is how do we make this system manageable and beneficial for long-term term us?
