Workbook on Digital Private Papers > Working with Record Creators > Guidance
Guidance for creators of personal papers
The project team is assessing the content and scope of records accessioned from participating politicians and considering the impact of current technologies on records created by the average politician. We will use this knowledge to produce guidance aimed at individuals who are likely to be creating records of historical value. Such guidance will be practical in nature, and is likely to include advice on care of hardware; backup procedures; selection of file formats; use of dating conventions and version control. Our experience suggests that this will be useful to record creators, and we have already provided informal advice to project participants.
Some of the issues Paradigm has encountered:
Date fields in MS Word documents
One politician's office used this field in press releases. Unfortunately, the date automatically updates each time a file is opened, making it difficult to ascertain the actual date of creation.
Absence of backup procedures
Some offices stored all files on local hard-drives without implementing any backup procedures at all.
Deleting historically valuable materials
One office routinely deleted electronic engagement diaries (potentially of great interest to biographers). Others delete emails due to limits on server space.
Poor planning when updating hardware and software
Older files had been lost by some office when hardware and software was updated.
Paradigm aims to offer simple and practical advice on these and other preservation matters.
