Your personal archive is likely to contain a range of hard-copy items and digital media in various formats.

1. Create an inventory that records their locations, contents and formats. For example: 

This will show the types of media you have in your archive and the devices you will need to manage them, such as a scanner or a DVD reader.

2. Copy all accessible digital files to a centralised location for back-up and safekeeping. Continue to add digital files to this location as they become available, making sure to create back-ups as you go. 

Choose a centralised location where you can copy all files for back-up and safekeeping. See Storing your digital archive.

Copy all accessible digital files to your chosen location. Continue to add digital files to this location as they become available, making sure to create back-ups as you go.

Downloading from physical media and cloud services

The media containing your files should be checked for malware, such as computer viruses, before copying. Use trusted antivirus software to complete a scan of all files. Do not open any files before checking for malware.

If a file does contain malware, isolate it and run a malware removal program. If this is unsuccessful, you may need to locate another copy of the file and check if it is safe to use instead. If you do not have a copy, the file may be unusable.

Once malware checking is complete, files from your storage media or cloud service can be downloaded or imported.

If you have older storage devices, such as floppy disks or CD-ROMs, you may need a specific device reader if your computer doesn’t already have one. These can generally be purchased, however older or less common storage media may require a specialist service to access the files. 

Social media and websites

If the content you want to archive is stored on a website, such as a social media account or blog, you may be able to save or download a copy.

Some websites will facilitate this with an archiving option, usually in account settings. You can also save individual webpages by selecting ‘save as’ on the page.

Social media sites allow the downloading of personal information through the website or the app. Every site or app will be different. Look in the settings section for information on what can be downloaded, date ranges, and the format the information will be provided in.

Mobile phones

Content stored on your phone requires a few different steps. Depending on the type of device you have, use a USB connector to access your device’s files from a computer. If your digital archive involves cloud storage, you can generally access it through your device and save or transfer files that way. The University of Westminster has more detailed information on archiving phone and tablet content. 

Deciding what items to select for your personal digital archive can be challenging. At first, you may want to include everything. However, the scale of digital material can quickly grow and become a resource intensive task. Not all digital items need to be kept. For example, blurry or duplicate photos.

Selecting the items you want to archive is like curating a photo album: space is limited, and you don’t need to keep everything. Choosing what to keep for an archive is called appraisal. When you are appraising an item, consider:

• long-term value
• personal significance
• original or duplicate
• final version or draft
• file quality.

It is helpful to keep a list of the types of digital items in your archive. This is a useful way of maintaining a consistent collection.

A list of what digital items to keep may include:

• Personal items: original, clear, significant photos and videos. Financial and legal documents: including warranties, deeds and agreements that need to be kept for the long-term. Some documents you may be required to legally keep, such as for tax reasons.
• Employment documents: such as resumes, cover letters and contracts.
• Academic documents: including final assignments, transcripts and certificates.
• Website content: such as personal blog entries, social media posts and message histories.
• Emails: containing important correspondence.

Items you may not need to keep:

• duplicates
• short-term records, like screenshots or drafts
• outdated or insignificant documents
• active files that are regularly used, these can be archived later
• incomplete records or drafts of finished projects.

As you decide what to keep and what to get rid of, document these decisions in a Digital Archive Management Plan file which can be kept with your archive. Your Digital Archive Management Plan file should be updated as required to maintain accuracy and consistency when appraising new items to add to your archive.