World Digital Preservation Day

Did you know that November 29 is World Digital Preservation Day? Well, you do now.

The aim of the day is “to create greater awareness of digital preservation that will translate into a wider understanding which permeates all aspects of society – business, policy making, personal good practice.” So says the Digital Preservation Coalition.

“Pervasive, changing and ubiquitous, digital technologies are a defining feature of our age. Digital materials are a core commodity for industry, commerce and government. They are fundamental for research, the law and medicine. The creative industries, cultural heritage and the media depend on reliable access to digital materials while families and friends extend and sustain their relationships through digital interactions.”

We couldn’t agree more, particularly where personal good practice and cultural heritage are concerned.  If you’re interested in the history and heritage of our area (and if you read Heritage Stockton and weren’t, it would be a bit odd to be honest) do think about what we all need to do today to ensure the history of our time here is preserved.  We look back to apparently ephemeral letters, diaries, photos and magazines that have survived to give us a window on the past.  Their modern digital counterparts need just as much, if not more, care and curation if they are to remain in existence and give future generations a sense of their heritage.

With all that in mind, we’re very pleased to upload the latest batch of Stocktonian magazines to our resources section today.  Thanks to a very generous loan of a personal collection and a great deal of work by our volunteers we now have a full set of magazines available online, beginning in 1912 and taking us right up to the final edition of the magazine in 2012.  Click here to take in a century of history through the lens of one Stockton school.