Most computer users worry about how to best safeguard their computer software, but genealogists face another predicament. They can't go to a store and buy replacement disks for the results of what sometimes are decades of work and thousands of hours of their time. The second challenge is how to preserve backups of genealogy databases and other family history files for access by future generations.
Placing Computer Disks in Safe-Deposit Boxes
Are bank safe-deposit boxes the solution? The answer is a resounding no. Here's why. Safe deposit boxes are made of metal which can become magnetized. Magnetism can scramble or destroy data on a computer disk.
This cautionary note also extends to magnetized paperclip holders. Don't use them near your disks or your computer. Unfortunately, the list of magnetized items in your household could be a long one. Even your pocketbook may not be a safe carrier for computer disks. Many purses now have magnetized snap closures.
It may be over-kill, but this writer bought a book bag (in which my smallest computer travels) which has plastic buckle fittings.
Technology May Make Computer Disks Outmoded
In one respect, the form and format of our genealogy records may be more important than where we store them. It is conceivable that not only computer disks, but computers as we now know them, will be completely out of date in 20 years.
The only realistic way to personally hold on to your genealogy treasure trove and keep it in a place where the next generation can get their hands on it would be putting it into a fairly large and well-labeled safe that is lined to protect the contents from magnetic rays. Why a big vault? Because not only would you have to store the disks in it, but also you would have to accompany them with the computer equipment that could read them. This sounds absurd, doesn't it?
Find a Storage Place that Lasts for Generations
The best solution is storage with an official genealogical repository that has lasted for generations and looks like it will survive many more. These would be libraries with large genealogical collections and genealogical societies that have a permanent headquarters and are endowed with sufficient funds to buy equipment to bridge technology changes by converting databases into the necessary format and media as changes take place. If your family history is in book form, send copies of the book to the top 10 genealogical collections in the U. S.
Find Your Family's Genealogy Home Now
It is never too soon to start looking for that place. Ask the office of your state archivist for advice and contact information. If you live near Seattle, Chicago, Detroit, Fort Wayne, Louisville, Moultrie (Georgia), Richmond, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, or Boston, excellent facilities are within reach. When you accomplish the transfer of your material to its permanent home, remember to put its name and location in your will. Stipulate in the will that you want one of your heirs to do likewise for each generation.
Source: The writer is a retired genealogical publisher and editor of The Rice Family Book Project
Rosemary E. Bachelor - Rosemary Bachelor, a prize-winning journalist, has had a career as an editor, feature writer, magazine publisher and author. Her latest ...
