Off the Shelf: World Digital Preservation Day

When looking up the definition of "digital preservation" you will come across complex definitions that involve various policies and practices and types. This can feel overwhelming to someone just entering into the process of digital preservation.

So, what is it? In simple terms, it's saving various items into a digital format. Take Grandma's recipes, for instance, the old handwritten ones, that are fading, fragile, and meaningful. One step is to ensure their safety by preserving them in archival binders with page protectors. Another is via digitization. You can create a backup of your family heirloom using a scanner, digital camera, or smartphone. From there you can save the item using a number of different programs and applications, whether it be Microsoft Word or a platform such as omeka.net.

https://www.archivalmethods.com/blog/preserving-old-recipes/

November 4, is World Digital Preservation Day. The theme for this year is "Breaking Down Barriers."

"In 2021 the theme ’Breaking Down Barriers’ is an opportunity to demonstrate how digital preservation supports digital connections, unlocks potential and creates lasting value. And because digital preservation is so crucial in supporting these opportunities, it also points to a critical need to make digital preservation and community activities understandable, relatable, and accessible to all.

The aim of World Digital Preservation Day is to create greater awareness of digital preservation that will translate into a wider understanding which permeates all aspects of society – business, policymaking, personal good practice." -https://www.dpconline.org/events/world-digital-preservation-day

The Dixon Public Library has been working to do our part by creating our own digital library.

You can find us on Illinois Digital Archives and from there if you click on one of our items you can scroll down to find a link to the item in our catalog.

Click on an image:

And scroll down until you see the link to our catalog:

Other than saving recipes, another way to venture into the world of digital preservation on a personal level is through digital scrapbooking.

I used to scrapbook, not digitally, but via papercrafts and I enjoyed it, but it takes a lot of space. Space I no longer have available. However, creating scrapbook pages on the computer not only saves space, but it saves me from having to sneak a bunch of scrapbooking supplies past my husband after trips to craft stores.

One way to do this is via https://www.canva.com/.

https://youtu.be/j--miOsxdVM

katehadfielddesigns.com offers a great beginners guide to digital scrapbooking.

https://www.archivalmethods.com/blog/preserving-old-recipes/

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