Quarantined Archiving – “Time flies like an arrow”

“Time flies like an arrow,
fruit flies like a banana.” —Groucho Marx

Quarantined Archiving

The other day, I was thinking about quarantined archiving. While quarantined, time flew like a uni-directional arrow. Many individuals faced challenges as they learned to work from home. They created content, workflows and information ecosystems that worked for them. But if they named files inconsistently or stored assets haphazardly, no one ever noticed.

As employees return to the office, they realize what they need to do. They must identify and transfer the files they created to their shared network, and let their supervisor know. If they keep the files on their local system, their employer will lose a chunk of its history.

Two Strategies for Digital Access and Quarantined Archiving

There are two different strategies for this. Obviously, the institutional requirements and habits of the individual affect one another. If, for example, the individual is well-organized and keeps files in chronological order and named consistently, then it should be relatively easy. Simply locate the folder with the files and rename it and transfer the folder to the Intranet.

While this might seem simple and intuitive, it’s actually a bad answer! When an individual transfers a folder, then all content is transferred, good and bad, fresh, raw and rotted. This strategy would attract fruit flies to the rotten bananas. Ultimately, this strategy is more time-consuming and negatively affects usability.  It also complicates search, hinders retrieval times, and adds complexity and cost. But by mixing “final approved” files with drafts and old versions, users are more likely to find and distribute the wrong version.

Quarantined Archiving Second Strategy – Develop a Core Collection

The second strategy is much more effective and efficient. It is standards-based, task-oriented, and user-focused. By using this strategy, the user (creator) develops items for a Core Collection. With an eye towards migrating to a central repository, the inventory will list all projects, dates and deliverables. This will serve as a structure to identify the size, scope and complexity.

The files, their storage locations, and other important requirements will be transferred with the files themselves. This user-focused strategy builds trust. The inventory can be used to document transfer of custody and help identify gaps in documentation.

Back to the Future Office

When employees return to the office, they will need a reliable and systematic way to transfer files they’ve created. This is critical.  It is impossibly hard to decide, in the moment or many months later, what has or will have historic value. The transition of content from operational usage to routine deliverables to one of great historic value is subjective and changes over time.

In contrast, most project management software focuses on a near-term foundation and clearly-defined deliverables. It requires a project title, a list of contributors, and a target date, destination, and deadline.  These are the primary components needed to manage a collection of assets and deliverables. Each contributor’s work is clear on a schedule, and each contributor completes his/her work on schedule, and then hands it off to the next.

These sequential workflows are effective until a problem arises. For example, if the first contributor is out, then the rest of the schedule could be affected.  Good archiving practices focus on the content or the assets. Best practice, built on archival standards, should be implemented early. It builds trust and responsiveness. In other words, a seamless and efficient transfer of assets to a centralized repository is a critical step.

Conclusion

Quarantined archiving provides first-hand evidence of the critical need for archiving.  Successful creators or collectors of content are proactive. They help transfer, share and centralize the content and notify the appropriate people. Yes, time flies when you’re in quarantined archiving, but you still have to protect your bananas.

If you need assistance or guidance in thinking about this or other archiving challenges, feel free to contact Digital Archivy directly.