Conservation keeping up with technology

Latest Preservation Technology for Genealogists

Keeping Up With Technology

Dick EastmanMarch 4, 2017

Today’s slides are available at:

http://www.eogn.com/handouts/preservation

The Latest Technology for Genealogists

• Today’s presentation will focus on two areas:

– How to make sure your genealogy data is still readable by future generations

– How to easily share as little or as much information as you wish

Paper and Ink

Paper

Paper and Ink

Paper is one of the most fragile storage methods available!

Easily destroyed by fire, moisture, mold, mildew, insects, and more.

Paper and Ink

PaperAcids?Acid free?

Paper and Ink

InkReal inkInk jetToner

Microfilm

MicrofilmLife Expectancy is 200 to 300 years… if stored in optimal conditions… and if it is never used!

MicrofilmScratches easilyRequires master copies that are only used to make copiesEven then, suffers some degradation

MicrofilmProblem:

Most manufacturers no longer produce new microfilm!

MicrofilmEven FamilySearch has abandoned microfilm and gone all digital for all new projects.

MicrofilmMore than 185 digital camera crews are now at work throughout the world, capturing images six days a week.

FamilySearch now creates an average of 10 new digital images every second of every day and publishes them at familysearch.org within a matter of weeks.

Reference:https://familysearch.org/node/1615

MicrofilmFamilySearch is digitizing all the records in its granite vaults. Millions of rolls of microfilm, captured in more than 100 countries since 1939, will be digitized, and then indexed by a massive volunteer force.

Expected completion date: less than 10 years from now for digitizing and making images available online.

MicrofilmOther non-profits, including Internet Archive and Allen County Public Library (one of the country's largest genealogy libraries), are digitizing content.

How Can You Preserve Your Data?

• Create Digital Files

• Make multiple copies

• Store them in multiple places

• Keep them spinning!!!

Make multiple backups!

• Make them on multiple forms of media: CD, DVD, USB jump drives, external hard drives, online (in the cloud), etc.

• Never, ever depend on one backup!• Store your backups in multiple locations• Keep them spinning!!!

Online Backups are the Cheapest!

• Free of charge (up to 2 gigabytes on many services, even more on a few services)

• Paid Services start at $0.02 per gigabyte per month (Amazon Glacier)

• Much cheaper than purchasing a hard drive!• But requires a broadband connection

Many Services to Choose From!

• Mozy• Backblaze• Dropbox• iBackup• Carbonite• CrashPlan• Mega.nz• … and many more

Make multiple backups!

• Again, never depend on any one backup

• Make multiple backups

• To different media

• Save them in different locations!

Part 2 – Sharing Data

• Let’s Focus on Two Closely-Related Terms:

– Cloud Computing

– Online Everywhere

What Is Cloud Computing?

Cloud Computing is the Sharing of Resources, typically across the

Internet

Cloud Computing

• Cloud computing can simply be the sharing of disk space…

• Or the sharing of applications on different computers

• With remote access by an individual

Cloud Computing

• Data can be preserved forever by…

• Periodically copying it to new media, both online and offline.

Current Examples of Cloud Computing include:

• Gmail• HotMail• Google Docs• Various backup programs• Online photo editing programs• MyHeritage.com• Ancestry.com

Placing your information in the cloud provides flexibility: you have many

options

• Keep all your information private but protected and backed up in state-of-the-art data centers

• Share bits and pieces of your information but only with people you choose

• Share with groups of people but only with passwords

• Make information freely available to everyone

You remain in control of your information at all times

Examples of SHARED Cloud Computing Services include:

• Ancestry.com’s OneWorldTree• RootsWeb• OneGreatFamily.com• FamilySearch• And other online databases with information

contributed by users• The information you contribute is “pooled”

with info supplied by others

In contrast, you can be “webmaster” and control all access to your

information:

• The Next Generation• WebTrees.net• MyHeritage.com

• And other products where one person or one group controls all access

What is a computer?

• One third of the world's population is now carrying a smartphone.

• More than 1 billion smartphones have been sold.

• There are many family history apps.

What is a computer?

• The form factor of iPads, tablet computers, and smart phones make them convenient for people doing family history from anywhere.

• Millions of genealogists are taking snapshots of tombstones or other kinds of documents, and uploading them to "the cloud" where they are accessible on various web sites.

Cloud Computing Allows You To:

• Remain in control of your own information at all times, if you wish to do so

• Easily find matching information supplied by others and to allow others to find matching information within your database

• Provide security and redundancy by backups• Access your information from anywhere at

any time.

You Can Preserve Forever and Share Your Data as YOU Wish!

Any questions?

Today’s slides are available at:

http://www.eogn.com/handouts/preservation