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Welcome to Archiving – The Project of a Lifetime “You are about to embark on a journey, the outcome of which will be a gift for those you love and many more you will never know...though they will know you.” BH So, what is an archive?
An archive is a collection of historical records, as well as the place they are located, in this case, the NOAH Archive into which one may place Life-Media: documents, letters, photographs and videos that have accumulated over the course of an individual or organization's lifetime. A person who works with archives is called an archivist. The study and practice of organizing, preserving, and providing access to information and materials in archives is called archival science. In general, archives consist of records that have been selected for permanent or longterm preservation because of their enduring cultural, historical, or evidentiary value. As the archivist for yourself, your family or your organization, it will be up to you to select and properly document the items you choose to place in the digital museum. Remember, the intent is not to place all of your Life-Media in NOAH, but to display you’re most important and beloved assets, and to tell a meaningful story mindful that it will be available to generations far beyond our lifetime.
Life-Media…
the priceless documents, photographs, home movies and videos that weave our stories.
Technology has made it easy to create volumes and volumes of Life-Media. In addition to paper and film based media, many of us are amassing large amounts of digital LifeMedia that we store across multiple media types and, hopefully, on our computer and, hopefully, backed up somewhere else. It seems that managing, organizing and preserving our most valued Life-Media, those we consider priceless to our personal life story or the stories of those we love, is a difficult set of tasks. 1|Page
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The idea of protecting and presenting Life-Media permanently was not even considered…until now. At DIGITAL ARK, LLC, we have created THE WORLD'S DIGITAL MUSEUM ™ , which is in essence a safety deposit box for your memories....your story...told your way, and protected forever. Think of a digital time capsule, or better yet, an archive known as NOAH ™ (Network Optimized Archive of History). By creating a NOAH/ TIMELINE contributors can place their high value digital elements into a story that unfolds as they choose. This can be done as a memorial (onetime) archive or a living (ongoing) archive; an individual or a group. That archive is then available permanently, by authorized access, shared access or as a public archive, all that can be experienced forever.
So, my NOAH TIMELINE can be mine, my family’s or my group or organization of choice.
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What can I store in My N O A H Archive? The answer is my Life-Media. That is, any photograph, text document or video I can digitize and place as a file on my computer. Digital cameras create files for each photograph or video clip taken. These files are then placed on my computer when I transfer them from the camera’s memory card. Once I have these items in my computer, I select the most important ones for permanent archiving in N O A H.
Digital Photographs /Videos
Photos /Documents
Home Movies
Computer
Scanner
Digital Conversion Service
N O A H
Computer
N O A H
Computer
N O A H
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Wow! This is the one. This picture, taken today, seems to really sum up our vacation…so far. Now, I want to add this moment to the Hague Family Timeline in My NOAH Archive.
I may choose to add the photo directly from my source camera (the one that took the picture), if my camera is integrated with NOAH. If not, I can easily upload this photo directly from my computer, by logging into NOAH, creating a timeline and then adding Life-Media. 4|Page
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When I log in I am taken to my account summary page. Here I can readily see how much space I have remaining at any time, what timelines I am currently contributing to, choose to share and edit my facing picture. At the top of the page I have two options: My Archive and My Timelines I select My Timelines to view my active timelines. From there, I select +Create a new Timeline to start a new timeline. There is no limit on the number of timelines you can create.
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Timelines can be Public or Private, and selecting Private does not prevent you from sharing the timeline with those you choose. To add Life-Media, I select My Archive and from here, select Add to your
Archive
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I am then directed to the only form I will ever have to use to add LifeMedia to NOAH— Create LifeMedia
Title:
Add a brief descriptive title, “Joseph and John Telluride, CO”
Description: Here followed by a quote from the contributor: “What a great adventure these two young men had today. Both are attending ski school and are skiing down any blue run they choose. They save the last run of each day for ski-time with Dad, as was the case here on “SUNDANCE” as the shadows grow long on a magical day”. Dad Remember to include the names of the people, places and events important to this particular media asset.
This is the time to become a storyteller! Life-Media is wonderful, yet it is the stories that bring the media that you are placing in the 7|Page
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Museum to life, and in so doing, creates a historical record. Your effort will live on for a very long time.
You may drag one file or you may create an event archive (multiple items behind a single timeline tile), by dragging multiple Life-Media assets into the same box. Open your image files and NOAH side by side for easy archiving.
Important note: Due to the rapidly changing release level of the primary internet browsers the drop and drag feature has had intermittent issues. Everything seems to work best in Google Chrome. If you have a problem, you can still place items in NOAH by clicking on the ADD FILES button and then choosing the media you want to add. Hold down the CTRL KEY on your keyboard and click on multiple pictures to add more than one at a time. Each one will be highlighted and when you are ready to add them click OPEN.
Type: Once you select the media the type will automatically recognize and fill in the proper media type.
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Timelines: Location:
I select the timeline I wish to place this media on.
I can place an address here for future geotagging.
Date:
I select the date, or take a guess as close as I can.
Circa:
If I am not sure of the date, I check the “circa” box.
Tags:
Add tags if you want to. In general tagging can be defined as the practice of creating and managing labels (or “tags”) that categorize content using simple keywords.
Event Archive:
Often I will want to store multiple Life-Media behind a single tile or “event” on the timeline. Examples of this might be parties, events, topics, heirlooms and vacations. I just select the media I want to attach to from the event list here by clicking on the arrow and scrolling to the desired title.
Save:
When I have completed the required fields I click SAVE.
My Life-Media and my words will then be placed on my NOAH Timeline and offer, when accessed from my timeline, a final view that looks like this:
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Just click on the photo to expand it. I can choose to edit or delete this archive by selecting either at the top right.
To upload a video or scanned image, simply follow the exact same process. Videos that are uploaded require a bit of time to encode into the archive. Several factors may affect that time, including the size of your video, the bandwidth of your connection and the amount of internet traffic present at that time. It is best to save a video upload as the last thing you will do in a particular NOAH session, hit save and then leave it for a while and come back. That is all it takes to protect and preserve your most valued Life-Media.
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The Share Facility At any time you are ready, you can share your timeline with anyone you choose. Choose MY Timelines from the top, and from there select share from beneath the timeline you wish to share.
From there you will be taken to the Invitation Screen.
Simply complete the form and click on SEND.
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Notes on the Share Facility I.
Be sure to note that you may allow those you invite to view your archive to make Life-Media contributions by selecting: allow these people to contribute.
II. III.
The Share Facility will tell you who has accepted your invitation to view. The Share can be ended at any time, by clicking on the
by the email address.
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PROCESS Your process will be your own, but here is one that works well to give you a starting point.
Archiving Projects As you begin to create an historical archive you may note that in addition to archivist, you find yourself in one or more additional roles.
Archeologist
Investigator
Historian
Archivist
If you find yourself in an attic or barn or garage, etc. searching for photos, or letters of historical significance you are at that moment an Archeologist. You may find yourself in the role of Investigator as, for example, you interview your parents or grandparents about their past. As you document your research and make decisions about what will go into your permanent record, you are an Historian. And finally, when you place a digitized copy into the NOAH Permanent Archive you have become an Archivist.
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SET GOALS So, what sort of things should I be searching for? What do I want to save and share? What is important? It is important to understand a bit about who or what your project will involve. Remember that NOAH contributors can have multiple timelines and can invite others to contribute. Here is a short list of possible projects: 1) Family a. Grandparents – always good to start with Grandparents as they are the keepers of your families most "ancient” media and starting here will create a linier foundation and starting point for your own historical discovery. Grandparents are often the real keepers of your family’s most precious historical media and their stories are extremely valuable. You will typically find them excited about and appreciative of your effort. b. Parents c. Aunts and Uncles 2) Community a. Youth Groups b. Church history and activities c. School activities d. Sports teams e. Community history (Open Community Contributions) f. Town or Community events 3) Me a. My Life b. My Wedding c. My Honeymoon d. Birth of Children e. My Vacation f. My Career g. My Friends h. My Team i. My Band j. My hobby k. My time in the Marines, Army, Air Force, Navy or Coast Guard
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GATHER So what types of things do I want to preserve? That is an excellent question. Here are a few suggestions to get you started. If you are working on family history, it will be important to locate the media first. Your collection will include some or all of the following: slides, photos, movies, letters, and family heirlooms. Family heirlooms can be almost anything that has been passed down for some time and that has meaning and historical value that you seek to preserve. Often, these items will require that you photograph them. Examples of common family heirlooms include:
Antique furniture
Awards
Jewelry
Art
Recipes
Family Pets
Service Items
Written Words
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Family heirlooms often lose their meaning simply because the story, the explanation of an item’s historical significance, has been lost with time. That is about to end, thanks to you! That is also the reason it is essential that the story be placed in the archive with the media. Generations of literally thousands of family members will be able to search NOAH for the information you took the time to document. Pat yourself on the back!
DIGITIZE The pictures we take today are captured with digital cameras, making it simple to store a copy in NOAH; however, most of our parent’s and grandparent’s treasured photographs will be printed on photo paper and be framed or stored (somewhere). In these cases it will be necessary to digitize or SCAN these images, thus creating a digital copy that can be stored and shared in the NOAH Digital Museum. The good news is that scanners are inexpensive, about $100, durable and easy to use right out of the box. If you have ever used a copier you can use a scanner! If possible, try to record the date with the stored image.
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INTERVIEW* Now the good stuff! It is time to gather the stories that bring the media that you are placing in the museum to life, and in so doing, tell a much bigger story, and one that will live on for a very long time. There are several ways to go about this step. One is to place the gathered Life-Media into NOAH first, and then schedule time with your subject so that he, she or you can transition from image to image, noting each story.
STORIES
LIFE-MEDIA
Another way is to make notes when you are gathering the media, so that you can input the information yourself when you want to.
Pace yourself, you are doing important work!
*see appendix for questionnaire. 17 | P a g e
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SHARE AND SEEK CONTRIBUTIONSS Now you are really getting somewhere. Your NOAH timeline is taking shape. Congratulations! Now, it is time to share your effort with others and if you want, to invite contributions to the timeline, in the form of media, stories, or both. By using the SHARE facility in NOAH you can both share and allow for contributions. This allows you to gather relevant Life-Media and stories from others.
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GET CREATIVE Time to try yet a new role: FILMAKER. So, now that I understand how to put things into my NOAH Archive, it’s time to learn how to easily create an interesting set of stories for the enjoyment of visitors to come. While individual photos and or videos are fine and important, it is also easy and fun to create newsreels, “vignettes”, or “short stories” that are in essence slide shows or customized video/photo combinations by using free software available to WINDOWS™ and APPLE ™ users. Since I am a WINDOWS ™ user, I have chosen WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER™ to assist my production. Apple™ users have the similar option of iMovie™. Here with relative simplicity I can group photos/video clips into a simple story board. I can also layer music and/or voice overs. Then bingo! I have a “mini news reel” that I can be proud of and that viewers will really enjoy.
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APPLE ™ users have a great tool in iMovie, which comes with the APPLE operating system.
Making your own movies is a very fun way to express your creativity, while simultaneously documenting the special times and events in your life. After all, you have taken the time to capture some great stuff…why not do something cool with it? When I am on vacation, I try to start a movie project on day 1 or 2 and just update it with the best shots and video clips of the day as we go along. This makes it very easy to capture the essence of each day while it’s fresh in my mind, and I select music that sort of represents where we are or what we are doing. When we get home its ready to watch, and off course I place a copy in NOAH’s permanent archive where I know it will be safe and can be shared with my extended family whenever or wherever they may be. Also, I can rest easy just knowing that all the effort my wife and I put in to a vacation will not be forgotten by the kids. 20 | P a g e
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NOAH Certified Archivist The NOAH Certified Archivist Program provides a method for those persons who have completed the certification exam and created an archive to become a NOAH Certified Archivist. NOAH Certified Archivist will be given ad space on the NOAH site, and the opportunity to start their own business by acting as a resource to NOAH contributors looking for assistance in scanning, archiving and creative services. NOAH Certified Archivist will be paid directly by the contributor who contracts with them. For more information contact Digital Ark, LLC by emailing us at bhnoah374@gmail.com
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Appendix –Note that this questionnaire will be available will be available as part of the NOAH Website very soon.
1. What is your full name? Why did your parents select this name for you? Did you have a nickname? 2. When and where were you born? 3. How did your family come to live there? 4. Were there other family members in the area? Who? 5. What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity? Indoor plumbing? Telephones? 6. Were there any special items in the house that you remember? 7. What is your earliest childhood memory? 8. Describe the personalities of your family members. 9. What kind of games did you play growing up? 10. What was your favorite toy and why? 11. What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)? 12. Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite? 13. Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it? 22 | P a g e
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14. What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College? 15. What school activities and sports did you participate in? 16. Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes? 17. Who were your childhood heroes? 18. What were your favorite songs and music? 19. Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names? 20. What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend? 21. Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper? 22. Who were your friends when you were growing up? 23. What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family? 24. Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods? 25. How holidays were (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions? 23 | P a g e
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26. How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child? 27. Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them? 28. What do you know about your family surname? 29. Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather? 30. What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors? 31. Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family? 32. Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members? 33. Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family? 34. Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family? 35. What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents? 36. When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates? 24 | P a g e
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37. What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen? How did you feel? 38. Where and when did you get married? 39. What memory stands out the most from your wedding day? 40. How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them? 41. What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage? 42. How did you find out you were going to be a parent for the first time? 43. Why did you choose your children's names? 44. What was your proudest moment as a parent? 45. What did your family enjoy doing together? 46. What was your profession and how did you choose it? 47. If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice? 48. Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable? 49. What accomplishments were you the most proud of? 50. What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you? 25 | P a g e