[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Keeping hard copies of photos and documents

[Otto]

On Jan 24, 2014, at 9:11 AM, Helen Gillespie wrote:

> Through work, I subscribe to an archival listserv.
> 
> This is an article by an archivist responsible for digital material.
> Thought provoking....
> 
> http://www.nst.com.my/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/digital-storage-losing-our-visual-heritage-1.465485
> 
> I' think I'll print or keep more of my photos of family, of family reunions
> and my children.....
> 
> 
> Helen Gillespie
> _______________________________________________
> Ger-Poland-Volhynia site list
> Ger-Poland-Volhynia at sggee.org
> https://www.sggee.org/mailman/listinfo/ger-poland-volhynia

It never ceases to amaze me how a mental vibration similar to a radio signal flies forth around the globe and returns to perch on my monitor screen.
After all, we are historians. Thank you Helen.

I just was in conversation two days ago with Bill Fife, our original Journal editor, now retired, on the same topic, preservation of our historically valuable graphic images.  Bill has some neat old photographs of yesteryear. So do I. Those that have exchanged more than two e-letters with me well know I favor visual graphic communication.
In our era of the SmartPhones, anxieties can arise among us older ones. The prevalent present behavior seems to be, "pop a pik, send it, view it, erase, who needs history."
I hope our labor is not in vain, at least the National Archives do not believe so.

Two main choices exist this day to preserve our documents: 
1. Digital or 2. Paper print.
Neither are permanent, we are faced with the fact that change is the only constant. How do we choose?  Much information can be gleaned by going to the National Archives Website of your country. All countries are keen on preserving history, yours and mine.

Some brief time-saving comments: (any Q's e-mail me personally)
Based on one's digital know-how, it is a matter of personal choice. Both approaches can be iffy not understanding their limitations.
I've lost film slides from years ago to microscopic mold and mildew.  Angered me to say the least. Since 1995 I've converted to digital photography and haven't looked back. I manage some 70,000+ of my photos in my digital personal archive. 

All of my old genealogical photographs I've high resolution scanned, restored and saved as: 
-the original scan, 
-as a PSD Photoshop document, 
-as a high resolution .jpg document for printing  
-and a .jpg low resolution for E-letter attachment.
-The original silver halide print is returned to my dark file boxes with the rest of the 'old original ones.'  Treasures.
-I also print the restored oldies and file them high and dry.

Hard copy photographs can be preserved, the reprinted ones after scanning, restoring and high resolution printing.
Three method of printing:
-Traditional Silver Halide
-Dye Sublimation
-Inkjet with either dye or pigment.
Which is preferable? Permanence has flip-flopped in the 15 years and professional inkjet is out in front of the pack at the moment.
I use the service of a Washington state wholesale club for my prints-dyd sublimation and inexpensive.

Here are some reference URLS-Klikk away. Choose your own method.
http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/sgrais/print_permanence.htm
https://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/webfm_send/313
http://www.wilhelm-research.com/ist/WIR_IST_2007_03_HW.pdf

All of my photographs are backed up triple. I also run a 500gb drive coupled with my computer and Apple's application, Time Machine, backing up my main hard-drive every hour on the hour.
My main method of storage for 90% of my photos is digital. I lost some work by accidental delete a few years ago and my son suggested I buy a gamer's external hard-drive box (mine is a USB BlacX-$50.00) into which I can plug two internal hard-drives. I next purchased two, 2T hard-drives (a 2T disk is two thousand gigabyte in size) for $100.00 a hard-drive .  CD's and DVD's are dinosaurs and hard-drives are long in the tooth. Flash memory is taking the stage for a while. . .

I personally feel both digital and hardcopy should be used together, to save the 'important stuff.'


. . .   Otto
         " The Zen moment..." wk. of January 01, 2014-
                _____________________________________
                "Satisfaction . . . Lurks in the answers."