Hi Everyone, I am sending this letter to all the various lists I subscribe to because I am becoming increasingly concerned about how the mounds of data we accumulate will be preserved. The sad truth is that some of it will be lost to future generations because of our carelessness. We all love our computers (at least when they do what they are supposed to!) and therein lies a big potential problem. We have no idea when the various formats in which we save our precious data will become obsolete. In all likelihood, “progress” will demand we convert to new formats as time rolls on. As long as we or our descendants continue this conversion process, we may be all right, but sooner or later the conversion won’t be practical. One format may not work with another, or maybe an uninterested descendant won’t keep up the never ending conversion process and a link in the chain will be broken. At that point all our hard work will be down the tubes. Please, please, don’t rely on computers to preserve your data. By all means use them to research and organize. In that respect they are a Godsend to all genealogists. But, to preserve our work for the future, the only viable way is to record data on paper. Even paper has its caveats. Acid free archival paper and inks must be used along with archival sheet protectors for our precious original documents and photos. We can also use acid free file folders and binders and use deacidification spray on our originals. It’s a lot more work than merely pushing one or two buttons, but our descendants will thank us just as we thank our ancestors for their thoughtfulness. I also believe we should complete the preservation by donating copies of our work to the appropriate historical and genealogical societies, and to libraries. If we don’t do that during our lifetime we can at least specify it in our wills. Please take my message in the spirit for which it is intended. The computer is a wonderful tool, but I just don’t want to see any of our work vanish in the name of “progress”. Happy hunting to all! Larry in Minneapolis Photolary@aol.com Researching: WHITHAM, SMITH