Think again.  Even digital photos fade or more aptly, get lost.  The problem lies in the process of digital preservation or archiving compared to simply having a photo printed, placing it in an album or just putting it in a shoe box and the photo lasts a lifetime.

At present there is no uniform standard in preserving digital materials such that these can be viewed in the future regardless of hardware or software used assuming that current hardware and software will become obsolete given the pace with which they develop.

So what are you to do now with all those digital memories of your out-of-town trips, parties and get-togethers, and those equally important self-portraits?

I highly recommend you print them out because it’s the best thing to do under the circumstances.  It is not only convenient but it’s a surefire way of preserving the images.  Plus, I don’t exactly find browsing through a file of photos using a computer as exciting as actually turning the pages of an album.  But if you find printing cost a bit hard on the pocket, invest on a good photo printer.

If you still don’t want to print them, go ahead and store them in your hard drive and let them stay there for as long as you want.  Just be sure you are taking all precautions of safeguarding your PC from viruses, worms, and from a system crash.  Give it 5 to 10 years under normal conditions. And remember to back them up in the hard drive.

Speaking of back-up, the trend is to burn images onto writeable CDs which is fine except that these discs only have a life span of up to 5 years, in which case you can say goodbye to your photos.  CDs aren’t exactly a safe storage medium because once the surface is scratched, it is no longer useable.  And don’t believe those reports that say CDs can last for 100 years because this claim remains unsubstantiated.

At some point when you need to upgrade your PC, you can transfer all your files from the old to the new and if in case programs are no longer compatible, apply the museum approach.  This, according to experts, is keeping your old PCs tucked neatly in a corner of your house or at the back of a closet in case you need to access a file.

Or use the services of Web-based companies that offer storage of digital photos but again these are limited. And even before considering this alternative, think of what will happen when these sites go out of service.

And while the Library of Congress is figuring out how to preserve digital images, you can stack up on memory cards or CDs, even Zip disks, or take the easy way out and have them printed.

(For feedback, comments, suggestions email me at openingpagemb@yahoo.com)