At the risk of being 'off-topic' once again, THIS should be distributed everywhere. Good job. --- JL Beeken JLog - simple computer technology for genealogists http://www.jgen.ws/jlog/
On 10/12/2012 3:55 PM, hwedhlor wrote: > I had a friend who spent a lifetime researching and writing > his family history. He kept a daily journal, entering 1,500 > words each day for over 67 years and taking thousands of > photographs. My friend privately published six volumes of > 400+ pages each, 9"x12" hardbound and had 100 copies printed > of each of the six volumes. A few copies were given to the > local LDS Family History Centers and to the one in Salt Lake > City, as well as to local libraries where he lived and where > he grew up, but most of the libraries to which he offered > his work declined his offer because of space restrictions. > At the point when I became involved my friend had 14 more 3" > ring binders full of information and photos which he > intended to have published in the same format as the > previous six volumes. The estimated cost of printing the > remaining volumes of his work was $80,000.00. I suggested > that he consider publishing his work on CD which would > include the contents of his previous six volumes as well as > his unpublished work, and that he print only a few paper > volumes of the new work. My friend agreed and asked me to > undertake that task. > > Much of my friend's work had been recorded on hard drives > and floppy disks, but the two old original IBM PCs in which > the hard drives were installed no longer ran. I had to > install new BIOS chips to get them running. Then we > discovered that the programs he had used (word processors > and genealogical database software) to record and organize > his data would no longer run either, and the backup copies > he had made were not readable by current versions of his > software. A third, more modern PC also would not run and > had to be resurrected. He had two running PCs and both were > shakey at best. We bought a new PC, and updated software, > and over a period of three years I was able to recover the > electronic versions of all what my friend had so laboriously > written. > > The completed CD included the previously printed six volumes > as well as much of the later data and was automated to run > on any then-current PC under several contemporary browsers > and on a variety of screen sizes. All of the text was > searchable, and the photos were integrated into the text of > many articles, genealogical histories, journal entries and > various charts and reports. The photos were also available > in an indexed photo gallery. When my friend and his wife > passed away a few years later not a single one of his > children wanted the CD. The remaining books (a few hundred > copies) were boxed up and hauled away to an unknown fate. > > The one lesson I took from having helped with that project > is that it pays to disseminate your data as widely as > possible, and in as many formats as possible, while you are > living. Make paper copies. Publish online. Make CDs. > Give away copies of your files to relatives and other > researchers as you work. Don't let the "unfinished" nature > of your research keep you from distributing what you already > have. Better to publish some of your incomplete, or poorly > sourced research than to let it be lost if you die > suddenly. Try not to let possessiveness overcome > willingness to share. We all like to be credited with what > we've discovered, but it's better to disclose information we > have rather than to risk it being lost forever because we > fear those receiving it won't mention us when they publish. > > One last thought. No electronic format is permanent. They > all deteriorate, and they will all become obsolete > eventually. If you choose to use an eletronic format you > should also commit to keeping that format up-to-date. Don't > stick with an old version of the software you're using > simply because you like the old version, or because you're > comfortable using it. Keep your hardware and software up to > date! If not immediately when it's released, at least > within say a year of that release. Stagnation can mean your > data will no longer be useable to those who come after you. > Even paper copies can burn, or be thrown out, so diversify > and distribute! > > John Zimmerman > Mesa, AZ Legacy User Group guidelines: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Etiquette.asp Archived messages after Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Archived messages from old mail server - before Nov. 21 2009: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ Online technical support: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/Help.asp Follow Legacy on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/LegacyFamilyTree) and on our blog (http://news.LegacyFamilyTree.com). To unsubscribe: http://www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/LegacyLists.asp
