Week 11

Swimming (more like drowning...) in documents is an issue that I think crosses into most professions and is something that we can all understand.

It just so happens that my neurofeedback experience comes to mind this week again, as I was a key player in the documentation preservation process.  When I wasn't with clients, you could find me going through boxes of old files and inputting their contents into an excel spreadsheet.   Legally we are required to keep full client records on site for 10 years, at which point myself and other staff members would input the old file data into our computer and the files would be taken off site.

While all staff members were not required to, I would also keep a notebook of session notes for my personal reference.   Keeping a hardcopy notebook of sessions is best practice for social workers and it is something I try to keep up in my professional and academic activities.  

(Pro tip: you should all do it too.  It makes you look super professional and your memory is not as good as you think it is.)

I don't expect to produce anything as meaningful or interesting as Alexander Graham Bell, but on the off chance I do - those notebooks would be available for future generations to explore and admire. The more likely outcome will be the burning of those useless notebooks as they will contain no useful information at all.  

In my research proposal I'm looking at services and accessibility of TPL to the autistic community.  If I were actually conducting this research, I would keep a notebook of the process and I would input this data into a spreadsheet and/or other digital formats.  This would include notes on any interviews and phone calls to autism organizations in Toronto,  questionnaires/surveys (possibly even drafts), this blog and of course the data collected.  

I do think it's very important to preserve information, notes and data.  Obviously making them digital is a step in the right direction, but I don't think digital records/documents are a stable, stand alone resource.  That's because the technological future (as well as the future in general) is so uncertain. The best way to ensure preservation is to keep copies of documents and data in multiple formats and locations - including hard copies.

In my lifetime I have seen many forms of technology emerge and become obsolete (and I'm only 31). If the information contained in the documents/data is important enough, it will be updated to new formats for use with new technologies.   Additionally, I have learned that technology can be unreliable and is no substitute for actual papers and books.  Am I pessimistic Luddite?  Almost definitely, yes.  But I stand by my methods because when the power is out, my information is still accessible.