Archivists have the daunting task of trying to keep up with technology. The national archives alone have over 360,000 reels of film, 275,000 sound recordings, and 110,000 video recordings. But unlike the written word, technologies are constantly changing. Think about sound recordings alone. Thomas Edison started working on the wax cylinder in 1877 where a needle created the sounds, then in 1881 Charles Sumner Tainter created the first flat disc recording. Since then there have been various forms of records, 8 tracks, cassette tapes, compact discs, and now mp3s and jump drives!
As all of these new technologies are developed, the old technologies are quickly lost. We must do all we can to keep up with new technologies in order to preserve the yesterdays treasures, but how often do you want to have to transfer your old treasures onto new technology? Then again, what good is it to have treasures if they are not shared with your families? This year ArtisticAncestry.com will show you a better way to preserve, refine and share your most treasured histories!
