What is Archive Storage?

Archive storage is important if you want to preserve your videos, photos, documents, and other objects that are not needed often. Basically, you can store your archival items in several ways to make sure your items are safe for when you need them in the future. For example, if you want to store documents, you may wish to purchase a fire safe. These come in handy when you want to keep information close to you, but don't want it to be vulnerable to a fire disaster. Some people prefer to keep a list of their documents at home in a binder or file and do the actual storing in a bank safe deposit box, which can keep your documents and other objects safe in the event that a major disaster or thief with knowledge of your taste in usual hiding places strikes your home.

Something else that may need archival storage is any video you have. The kinds of media you choose to use to preserve your memories will all have some kind of deterioration rate. In fact, even if you use a DVD to store your information, you will find that it tends to be corrupted after 9 or 10 years. However, you can still do some things to keep your information fresh for the time being (since you'll need to keep it somewhere until you can get your information transferred to a more permanent medium). A popular choice is the archival box. These tend to be useful because they fit normal videotapes and are acid-free, which means they do not contain acid that can eat away at your materials. Another bonus to using this method is that, if there's room, you can also safely store photos in it, which require acid-free storage in order to keep them in prime condition.

And speaking of photos, you may find that you wish to store your photos in a more attractive way. This can be done by scrapbooking, a method in which you present your photos in an artistic way so that they are more pleasant to see. This can be done by hand or digitally. If done by hand, you will wish to use acid- and lignin-free, which will keep your photos from prematurely discoloring and disintegrating. Digital scrapbooking can be less expensive than the other kind of scrapbooking because you can find both free software and free images online with which to embellish your pictures. However, remember that this, too, is not an indestructible way of preserving memories, since the memory in your computer decays over time. In fact, the only way to make sure your archival items remain viable for many, many years is for them to be transferred every once in awhile to a new version of the old archival method, such as moving your digital files to a newer technological format (such as a new computer).