GRADUAL LOSS OF OUR HISTORY

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Gradual loss of archives and collections of materials, photos, artifacts, books and ephemera. This is an unusual topic, but I feel important to add to our understanding. It is not just the responsibility of the government or institutions to archive our history, but the privileged responsibility of every citizen to bear a small portion of the effort. Imagine a world in which no family that endured the American Civil War kept any records, letters, memoirs, photographs, uniforms and similar keepsakes. What then would be our understanding of the conflict be for us today. We need to think in terms beyond our lifetime in preserving our historical heritage. Digitizing collections is one way, however it is lacking in my view. Digital collections can be tampered with. A physical book like a dictionary cannot be tampered with, online versions incur errors and evolution without regard for the standard preserved in the original physical book. Viewing an image of a silver dollar will never match the holding of it in ones hand or seeing it live in a museum or in a collection of a friend.

Preserving ephemera items, books, photographs, artifacts, family keepsakes, antiques and the like is important to future generations. Our generation was at one time that future generation and all that remains extant from their era enriches our lives today. I believe going forward all forms of preservation are even more critical because of advancing technology and our reliance on everything digital.

Book: Burning the Books: A History of the Deliberate Destruction of Knowledge by Richard Ovenden

Libraries and archives have been attacked since ancient times but have been especially threatened in the modern era. Today the knowledge they safeguard faces purposeful destruction and willful neglect; deprived of funding, libraries are fighting for their very existence. Burning the Books recounts the history that brought us to this point.

Digital Books wear out faster than Physical Books: Posted on November 15, 2022 by Brewster Kahle Internet Archive

Interview: On 1A National Public Radio with Richard Ovenden & Tom Blanton. The topic starts regarding "The Danger Of Deliberate Destruction Of Documents By President Donald Trump" and 8.5 minutes in the topic evolves into the discussion of the destruction of knowledge and the need to improve our archival methods.

50 Reasons Real Books are Vastly Superior to Ebooks

Creating a Digital Archive: It’s Harder Than You Think

The DAM Book by Peter Krogh: Digital Assett Managment. Digitizing your photos, documents and graphics. "In the last decade, Peter has become one of the world’s foremost authorities on Digital Asset Management and workflow."

Scanning Photos with Your Camera: 1.7 hr video by an expert Peter Krogh

Digital Asset Management Workflows: From Content Creation to Long-Term Storage by Corey Chimko of Cornell University. 1 hr. video seminar.