In 1986 computer pioneers at the BBC launched The Domesday Project designed to celebrate the 900^th anniversary of William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book. The object was to gather comprehensive information about our land and people: history, geography, social issues or simply ordinary lives. No-one could have predicted the rapid advance of technology however and the methods used to store the data, “cutting edge” at the time, soon became obsolete, making it impossible to access. Recently “Domesday Reloaded” is rectifying the problems and after 25 years the information will once again become available, providing a snapshot of our country twenty five years ago.

The BBC Radio 4 programme “Making History” also referred to the matter of storing data when technology is rapidly changing. Reference was made to those of us who store data on computers and CDs which in turn are likely to become obsolete. Particular reference was made to photographs and the advice was “print them out and get them into albums.” I think the advice should also hold good for our FH research. Not many of our descendants will have the resources or time to update reams of otherwise inaccessible family history material in decades to come when our current computers have gone to the waste tip in the sky and we ourselves have slipped off this mortal coil.

I have loads of photos on computer of the family, many of them of my grandchildren as well as much written work including a personal diary of day to day events. Though none of us has as much space as we would like, paper and writing/printing have lasted for hundreds of years, so not only would I advise, as I frequently did to my students – “write it down”, I would now add “Print it out.” You can never have too many copies. Belt and braces. Just in case.