Use this checklist to plan for the storage, organization, and management of your Minnesota Digital Library (MDL) master images.
How will I receive my MDL master images?
You will receive your MDL master images in one of three possible ways:
- Jump drive - You are free to keep the jump drive.
- External hard drive - You will need to return this to MDL.
- Zip folder - These files will need to be unzipped and saved to an appropriate location.
What should I do with my masters after I receive them?
- Transfer the files to a new storage location.
- Make at least two copies of your master files. More copies are better.
- Store these copies in different geographic locations that are as physically far apart as practical. Examples of different storage locations:
- Cloud storage
- Server storage
- External hard drive
How do I keep track of and manage my stored master files?
- Create an inventory (or update an existing inventory) of what is stored at each location. An inventory can be created with:
- Excel spreadsheet
- Word document
- Google document
- Create a plan to check and refresh your master file storage media on a yearly basis.
- Update your inventory if any changes are made.
How do I continue to protect my master files?
- Designate a person at your organization to be in charge of maintaining your master files. This person should check the masters on a regular basis and execute the content migration plan.
- Create a content migration plan - you should plan to migrate master files to new storage devices every 3-5 years. This plan should include an assessment of storage capacity needs.
- Update your inventory if any changes are made.
More Information
"Digital Photo Preservation" American Library Association, November 3, 2014.
Digital Preservation Handbook, Digital Preservation Coalition
Digital Readiness Toolkit Recollection Wisconsin
Chapter 6: “Store and Maintain”
Chapter 7: “Evaluate”
Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative - Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials, revised May 2023
You may also contact us at any time for additional information.