At 7/30/2015 06:26, pbalkcom wrote: >In several recent posts, people, like Lee, have >stated that they have upwards of 50,000 people >in their database. It brings to mind the >question - What will happen to all that work >after I die? or better yet - What can I do now >to preserve that information? Because our >databases are not static and change on an almost >daily basis, it’s not practical to start >printing out 50,000 Individual Reports that you >could give to an archive or library because what >you print today would possibly be changed by >tomorrow. One could write a book that might >include a few thousand of those people in it but >what happens to all the information you have >gathered on all those other thousands of >collateral people? I’d be interested in >hearing of people’s plans for their TMG >databases and also their Second Site websites after they are gone. Any user having a large amount of genealogical data faces the same question as to what should be done with it in the event of their death. In a some cases, the user will have been in close association with another researcher(s) who will know and be able to advise/take charge of the data. Others will have children/heirs with the same knowledge/capability. Beyond this, the data in the computer will likely be lost. In one case some 50 years ago, when the researcher died, the local society went to the surviving spouse a short time after the death and asked if they could take charge of the research papers as a tax write-off. The spouse replied that the papers had already been disposed of in the local landfill. Since no genealogist ever finds an end to their research, there is not any real cut-off point for saving the data to any form that may be easily preserved. Thus there has to be a point at which some/most/all the data in a digital database is converted to some more easily accessible form and then updated at intervals. The question then is how to determine that cut-off point and what the intervals should be. With few exceptions, this has to be rather arbitrary. Most often, it will simply be deciding to do it now and every six months/year/5 years/whatever. A cousin had a large amount of work (mid-1970s) on paper and made arrangements for the papers to be microfilmed when his health began to deteriorate. He continued his research (I have some of the later work), but at least the large majority of the work was preserved. His children have the papers now and at one time considered making it available in digital form, but that has not happened. In addition to when to preserve the data, the other consideration is how the work in TMG should be preserved such that most anyone could see/use the data. Absent knowledgeable persons familiar with computers/TMG (or any other database program), it seem to me that there are only two ways. Probably the easiest is to create a web site using Second Site and placing copies of this site on CD/DVDs with the copies deposited in safe places. Along with the CD/DVDs should be an explanatory note with the simple instructions how to use them. The CD/DVD method will work fine for the foreseeable future. But there are still questions as to the lifespan of CD/DVDs much less the equipment/programs to use them. Lifspan estimates are from 25 to 100 years with no guarantee of any of the estimates. But, CD/DVDs are easy to create, can be update (replaced) easily and take up less physical space. The only universally usable form of data preservation with a known lifespan is paper (assuming archival quality and appropriate storage). Lifespan of paper can be short (fire) or reasonably long (we have documents that are hundreds of years old). So paper also has it limits although with care those limits are somewhat longer. And while paper may last longer, its use requires no special equipment or instruction. Paper tends to take longer to print, is more bulky. Assuming the output is in the form of Family Group Sheets (or Individual Detail Reports), one would estimate at least two pages (main data and citations) for each person with very many being another one to four (or more?) pages. This for a 50,000 person data set) calculates to something like 150,000 (or more) pages. (How many pages can one tree produce? <g>). Then on top of this, some kind of index should be provided. A more reasonable output in terms of bulk would be a narrative report with an output of upwards of ten thousand pages. There is no easy one size fits all solution and each situation will be different. But some pre-planning be done by all of us. Lee

As one of those people...on one hand, I hope to have many more years of genealogy ahead of me (I'll only be 45 next month) but on the other hand, there's no guarantees. I've printed off narrative reports for specific lines in the past and distributed to family members - they aren't as up-to-date as my database but they are out there somewhere. I have a Second Site website for my lines - I don't have my husband's online yet. Websites may or may not endure - the Wayback Machine has archived several earlier versions on mine (latest being Dec 2014). Eventually I would like to produce a book or similar for at least some of lines or perhaps some articles - either way get them into print. Ultimately though - it'll be up to my children to preserve and continue the research. I involve them and encourage them currently in hopes that they'll want to when the time comes. > At 7/30/2015 06:26, pbalkcom wrote: >> In several recent posts, people, like Lee, have >> stated that they have upwards of 50,000 people >> in their database. It brings to mind the >> question - What will happen to all that work >> after I die? or better yet - What can I do now >> to preserve that information? Because our >> databases are not static and change on an almost >> daily basis, it’s not practical to start >> printing out 50,000 Individual Reports that you >> could give to an archive or library because what >> you print today would possibly be changed by >> tomorrow. One could write a book that might >> include a few thousand of those people in it but >> what happens to all the information you have >> gathered on all those other thousands of >> collateral people? I’d be interested in >> hearing of people’s plans for their TMG >> databases and also their Second Site websites after they are gone. >

At age 75, I'm using the SS route. Bud Dorr