Suppose you see a cop beating someone up for jaywalking, or you’re stopped at one of the Border Patrol’s internal checkpoints. You’ve got your camera, phone, or tablet, so you make a video record of the incident. What do you do next? The Activists’ Guide to Archiving Video has some solid advice. Its purpose is to help you “make sure that the video documentation you have created or collected can be used for advocacy, as evidence, for education or historical memory – not just now but into the future.” The advice is solid, and most of it applies to any video recording that has long-term importance. In essence, it’s the same advice you’d get from Files that Last or from the Library of Congress. It includes considerations that especially apply to sensitive video, such as encryption and information that might put people at risk, but it’s a valuable addition to anyone’s digital preservation library.
There’s a PDF version of the guide for people who don’t like hopping around web pages. Versions in Spanish and Arabic are also provided.
Mad File Format Science 