[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Question re: preserving records

[Spaghettitree at aol.com]

Hi Rose Marie - I agree - all this hardware and gadgets and CD's and  
programs will be obsolete - long before 25 years go by.   But quality  paper does 
not disintegrate.  Takes more room, but it is permanent.  I  have a lot of 
paper and books which are 200-300 years old.    As  a paralegal, I have to 
take issue  with the 25 year limit, though - I  don't see why there should be 
a limit at all.   You might wish to  investigate the Allen County Public 
Library in Ft. Wayne - they will take a  printed copy of your records and scan 
them and SAVE them for posterity and  future access and return yours to 
you.   I don't know if they will  take that data on flash drives, etc. or not; 
worth asking - they have developed  into a huge and valuable repository.    
Each state  has different requirements for Wills and Codicils - enforcement 
of your  wishes is the problem.    And making sure everyone knows your  
wishes before the house is cleaned out and thrown in the  dumpster.     Shudder! 
 
 
_www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/html_ 
(http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/genealogy/html)  
 
Maureen
 
 
In a message dated 9/20/2010 8:05:55 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
farose at gmail.com writes:

I've  been reading about putting a codicil on your will to the effect that
your  genealogical materials must be preserved for 25 years - this to give
those  who right now are not interested in genealogy, a chance to have  your
records when/if they do in the 25 year period.

My question is -  in what format? Most of us have our materials on our
computers - how to  store the files? If we think back 25 years, the 
preferred
storage method  was huge floppies. Now we use memory sticks. What will be 
the
electronic  storage method in 25 years? Who knows? Certainly the memory 
stick
will be  as obsolete then as the huge floppy is now. So what is the answer?
And  should this include all our non-electronic materials?

I'd be interested  in hearing what others are doing, and your  thoughts.

Rose-Marie
_______________________________________________
Ger-Poland-Volhynia  Mailing List hosted by
Society for German Genealogy in Eastern Europe  http://www.sggee.org
Mailing list info at  http://www.sggee.org/communicate/mailing_list