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Hey Libraries and Archives: Personal Digital Archiving Kit Now Available

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The following is a guest post by Keri A. Myers, a volunteer archivist with NDIIPP.

Let’s face it: most of us fall short of perfection when it comes to managing our personal digital materials.  We do things like download personal photos to our computers and promise ourselves that we will come back later and give them meaningful file names, tags and other important metadata.  Since I began volunteering here at NDIIPP I have increasingly been aware of my personal digital archiving habits and the challenges they pose.

Photo credit: Keri Myers
Digital photos tossed in a folder for future archiving, credit: Keri Myers

A big part of the problem is that there are few sources of advice for people to learn about personal digital archiving.  Local libraries and archives are in the perfect position to fill this gap.

That’s why over the past few weeks my colleague Erin Engle and I have been constructing a resource kit to help local institutions provide links to information about personal digital archiving.  The kit also provides resources to support a local “Personal Digital Archiving Day” to connect directly with patrons.

The kit is aimed at libraries, archives and other cultural intuitions staff and gives basic guidance on how to organize an event. It includes some tips for organizing an event, as well as free handouts, videos and web resources that staff can use. Also provided is a list of additional resources, including some format-specific advice.

The kit highlights various NDIIPP resources and handouts providing a perfect introduction for informing the general public on important tips and strategies for preserving their digital files, photos, videos, emails and social media accounts.

We’re hoping you’ll help spread the word about digital preservation and host a Personal Digital Archiving Day event during ALA’s Preservation Week activities this April.

So grab a download of the kit and get organizing a local event. Afterwards get in touch and tell us how your event went and how we all can further this discussion and help people create good habits when preserving their digital memories.

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