Identify > Gather > Select > Organize > Back-up > Maintain
"The term ‘personal digital archiving’ refers to how individuals manage or keep track of their digital files, where they store them, and how these files are described and organized. People keep personal archives for reasons that may be simultaneously sentimental, practical, and even accidental. The ubiquity of personal computing devices and the ease with which files can be duplicated and stored in multiple locations mean that the same digital files may be stored on a local device, such as a mobile phone or laptop, as well as in the cloud. Personal digital archives contain files that capture both the mundane and the extraordinary, and represent moments that people may want to remember forever, as well as some that a person may wish had never happened. An important part of personal digital archiving involves determining, either individually or with the help of a curatorial institution, which parts of an individual’s ‘digital stuff‘ are worth trying to save permanently. The more actively one selects, manages and cares for personal digital archives, the more likely those are to survive the ravages of time on technology. Similarly, the more control an individual has over their personal archives, the greater their ability to save only what they intend."
- Gabriela Redwine, Personal Digital Archiving
