Jasmine Patel is a Digital Preservation Intern at the University of Edinburgh. This blog post was originally posted on the Information Services Group Student Employee Blog here.
Try, test, fail. Wait a bit, try again, fail, mentally recover, try it on a PC, try it on a Mac, try giving the machine a good bonk on the head (or sending it to the naughty step if you’re feeling nice).
Welcome to the world of Digital Preservation – or, as the cool kids know it: Digipres.
So far I’ve had a whale of a time working with my 121 discs, (more affectionately known as my ‘babies’) but I have to admit, the past four weeks have been nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster. The limits of my patience have been tested like never before, being exactly 13 minutes and 12 seconds apparently. From the soaring highs of getting a disc reader that works, and labelling 100 discs before lunchtime, to the plunging lows of iso files failing to mount and having to get help plugging in a USB, truly, me and my discs have been through a lot. I’m proud of our progress, but it’s definitely a love-hate relationship. Yes, I’m looking at you 40s. What did I ever do to hurt you?
Always the best desk in the room
So then dear reader, I hear you ask, what exactly am I doing?
My job this summer is to the preserve digitally-born Graphic Design content produced by the Graphic Design Team since the late 90s, which has been archived on a rather large number of CDs and DVDs. My manager Sonia Virdi (Head of Graphic Design) selected the 121 CDs that I’m working with because these are the ones most likely to contain content relating to the triannual BITS magazine. If you haven’t already checked out BITS, you’re in for a treat. In fact, go now and indulge yourself in years’ worth of news and updates on the work of ISG. And don’t forget to take note of the design work and illustrations of course.
Meet my new bestie – FTK imager
Over my internship, I hope to collate together all the editions of BITS in order to showcase the important work ISG has done over the years. I’ll be exploring how BITS and the Graphic Design content can help us understand how ISG and the University of Edinburgh as a whole have evolved to face varying challenges in higher education, and keep up with the rapidly developing tech scene, enabling our beloved Edi Uni to remain a leading institution worldwide.
Disc no. 103 chilling
If at this point your curiosity overwhelms you and you want to know more technical details about the work I’m doing, please feel free to send me an email <jpatel3@ed.ac.uk>.
PS. I hope you read this in a northern English accent. If not please start again.
Also if disc no.121 could please make its way toward the box underneath desk 34 that would be great thanks.