Rhonda Chadwick is a trained archivist who has written a book called “Secrets from the Stacks: an archivist reveals how to store, digitize, and preserve documents to create a family archive and leave a personal legacy. She has a dual MLIS/Archives Management and MA History degree. She is the owner of a personal history business called LenaSalina Legacy Preservation.
The teenage years contain some of our best times that teens will want to preserve, but also, sometimes tragedy strikes and teens may be in a position to want to save items from a loved one who has left this life too soon.
Key Takeaways
- Save pictures in non-proprietary format such as jpegs and word documents in pdf.
- Relying on the cloud for storage can be risky as the data lives on their service.
- It’s best to back up everything using 3-2-1: two local options (computer & flash drive) and one off-site service (cloud).
- What do to with all the photos on your phone: Keep photos and documents that have enduring stories.
- It’s a great practice to go through your saved photos on a regular basis and delete what is not necessary to save.
- The digital world is unstable, so printing photos is still a great idea.
- Social media, email, and text messages can also be saved
Resources
- Email: rhonda@lenasalina.com
- Website: LenaSalina.com
- Information provided by the Library of Congress:
https://guides.loc.gov/family-history-for-kids/preservation
https://digitalpreservation.gov/personalarchiving/
