Keeping records and journals for personal use

[Deb London]

Yes, I've never found any storage yet that was fool-proof.

[SheffieldLass]

I think it depends just how many records you intend to keep, and how much mice-free attic storage space you have. (I had to keep half of my business records, and those are a fair few boxes full of files etc, so I have an aversion to paper storage - the digital stuff was much easier to keep, and minimal in storage space.)

For fungi, for me it is computer all the way. I have macro photos, micro photos in their many thousands. And a database I've adapted to store the data that I want to keep. But losing the data is always a risk, especially with computers.

My bird records are mainly with the BTO, on Bird Track etc. At the moment I can access them all, but I guess that will depend in time on what the BTO policy will be for the records over time. Things like their paper version surveys I took a photocopy (or kept the messy in-field copy).

[nightshade]

My hard drive packed up, there had been no indication of a fault I had a new external drive and connected it up ready to use and the computer would not boot. Apparently the disc controller circuit was u/s.
Don't trust your computer, write clear and concise notes for posterity, I scribble the odd bits and pieces as I am too busy being fascinated
Do as I say not as I do

[earthdragon64]

Being dyslexic as far as writing goes, I tend not to keep much in the way of written records. I have a notebook I use in the field in which I print lists of things I see. That way I can actually read them and copy them onto databases from which I generate spreadsheets to go to VC recorders. I certainly wouldn't attempt to draw anything, I can't draw a straight line with a ruler.

I have 2 main external hard drives, documents and photos get copied onto them and photos also get copied onto 2 DVDs. I also have a portable external hard drive which is completely waterproof, which is great to take on holiday.

I tend not to print anything out, as I feel it's a waste of paper. I'd actually like the option of getting newsletters and journals as PDFs rather than printed matter from the various clubs or societies I belong to.

Regards, Audrey.

[willowjay]

Mine is very simple, very easy to do, costs very little, and does not trouble my not-too-good-on-the-computer brain. (Put it down to age)

I take pics on a digital (small, cheap) camera, print them out to what ever size looks good, stick them in a large book, and write beside them when and where I was, and what I have photographed. Some landscape shots are added to illustrate where that particular walk was.

Usually I concentrate on things that will stay still, as my camera does not do anything fancy, like telephoto (is it still called that?) so there are more flowers and fungi and lichens etc than there are Little Brown Feathered Jobs that scoot about the place ... and of course if I don't know what something is - then there are hundreds of people here to help.

That is one of the great things about this forum - people are so nice, so generous with their time, expertise and enthusiasm, and the result is that most things in my book are labelled!

It's just for me - though when trying to describe what it was like to spend three months in Australia, as I was lucky enough to do last winter - some of my little everyday shots capture the atmosphere quite well - and people get to realise why it's an awesome place.

As is England - and if it would warm up a bit I will get back to photographing bits of it

[ChrisJB]

I have kept a country journal since the early 1990s. I started with nice hand-written words, plus a few sketches, hand-drawn maps, etc. They look pretty, but in retrospect are a bit folksy, quaint and overly twee. Thus, about five years ago, I jacked the 'Edwardian Lady' approach and went to a typed form, with photos and little maps. I do still enjoy sketching in a little notebook when I am out walking about, so now and again will scan one in the computer and insert it into my typed writings. I print my writings off and store in a lever arch file.

Regards, Chris

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

I used to teach computerised book-keeping and I always said, use the computer to keep the records and help you analyse what you record, but you must print off everything you have. I would strongly advocate keeping computer records if you can find a format that suits you, but keep a print out. You can go through your records in front of the fire or wherever you want, and if you are set up with a good record system, analys what you have seen on computer as well when you want to. Given a choice of one format, paper. Given a best choice, computer and paper. Given no choice at all, I'll use a computer to analyse large amounts of data from many people, but then you need to print the results of the analysis.

I have gone centres with card records going back many years and extracted data to computerise it. I wouldn't like to have gone there to find 8" floppy disks, tha data would be lost.

Rant nearly over, but don't trust to computer storage only. And I have been using computers for 30 years!

Indeed. I still remember at work where the mantra was "backup, backup, backup". Which we very carefully did. Only to hear, one dreadful day, the Computer Support Staff say "Sorry, we can't retrieve your backups, all the tapes have degraded"

henrya

[Guinnessman1974]

I keep field records in small note book, then update on a spreadsheet. i also have lists on Word documents

Then, of course back up the files onto a memory stick or external hardrive.