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Archiving Documents: Key Resources for the Clueless Beginner

The following is a brief discussion on various tools for the effective scanning, digitization, and long-term preservation of documents and media. It highlights accessible hardware and free software options for individuals and organizations working with limited resources.

Scanning & Digitization

Access to a scanner is essential for archiving documents. A4 scanners remain relatively cheap in the market (around €100) and come a long way in allowing for the preservation of printed material. These scanners have their limitations – they may not be able to produce images of the highest quality and will typically not be able to scan film negatives, which high-end quality scanners are able to do. Nonetheless, their relatively low cost and accessible interface makes them suitable for individuals and groups with limited financial resources. In terms of A3 scanners, the only affordable scanner we were able to locate is the Plustek OpticSlim 1180, which costs less than €400.

In cases where a document is in such a dire state of decomposition that the very process of scanning it may result in its destruction or any other significant damage, a simple solution is the careful photographing of each page with a relatively decent digital camera. Photographing documents is however a time-consuming process which I would not advise pursuing as a substitute for scanning.

I highly recommend the digital preservation of documents in the form of PDF files. An exceptionally useful tool is PDF24, a free software that allows for the creation, simple editing and compression of PDF files. It further has the capacity to convert images to text through OCR.

 Useful Free Software

For those who have limited knowledge of image editing and no access to commercial software, like me, I recommend Paint.NET, a free image and photo editing software. GIMP is a more advanced alternative, while for very simple stuff, Microsoft Paint remains remarkably handy.

For converting a DVD into a video file, HandBrake is excellent, while WinCDEmu is only one of many free programs allowing the emulation of CD/DVD/BD drives. VLC Media Player remains exceptional for playing video files, while OpenShot Video Editor is an accessible free open-source video editor.

In terms of viewing PDF files, Sumatra PDF is undoubtedly superior to Adobe Reader, being extremely fast and lightweight, unlike its Adobe competitor. Although most operating systems have their own snapping tools, Greenshot is another lightweight free software allowing for easy screen capturing that has proven quite useful over the years. Regarding opening and creating archive files, 7-Zip remains essential. Lastly, when creating a digital archive, consistently in file naming is of the essence, especially as files keep accumulating. Bulk Rename Utility is an excellent tool allowing for the bulk renaming of files, saving its user a lot of time and effort.

 Creating Backups

Beyond accessibility, one of the great advantages of creating a digital archive is the possibility of creating multiple copies of the archive, reducing the risk of damage and loss. Creating multiple copies of a digital archive is thus essential to avoid possible loss of data. Loss of data can come in many forms –physical destruction of the hardware where the files are stored (external hard disks, flash drives, laptops etc.), theft of hardware, collapse of a server, online hacking and so on. It is thus important to maintain multiple backups of the digitized files. An easy practice is to create backups by using multiple external hard drives, which are then stored at different locations. In the case of the physical destruction of one hard drive (for example, due to a house fire) other backups survive. There are of course also cloud services, which nonetheless come at a cost.

This practice, although essential, protects digital archives only offline. Assuming an archive is publicly and openly available online, the collapse of its website infrastructure will inevitably lead to the archive going offline as a whole, since files will be hosted on the website’s server. To avoid this, it is worth considering uploading digital files of archived material on alternative databases as well – creating such copies preserves access to the files even if one server hosting them falls apart.

An easy solution to this dilemma is the uploading of files (depending on copyright etc.) on the Internet Archive database. The Internet Archive hosts an enormous amount of files and is an excellent website to upload files for backup. Setting up an account is easy and straightforward, as is uploading files on the database. In addition, the Internet Archive also hosts the Wayback Machine, which creates digital copies of internet websites. This allows for access to (versions of) websites that have gone permanently offline. Capturing your own site’s URLs in the Wayback Machine, including the URLs to digital files, is another way to create backups of an online archive. Another website, archive.is, does something similar and can be used as an alternative, but Wayback Machine is preferable, as it belongs to a broader project dedicated to open access to information. Wayback Machine also has an official browser extension that is very handy and which I highly advise installing.


 


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