The problem of digital legacy in the transmission of personal archives and libraries

Abstract

The digital revolution that for at least a couple of decades has radically transformed every sector of society has not neglected to make profound changes also in the personal life of each one – which is becoming more and more ‘digital’ – and in the production and use of documents. Through personal computers, tablets and smartphones, we draw up documents, take notes and personal notes, write literary texts, develop studies and projects, take photographs, read books, interact on social networks, etc. In this way, many documents are created in digital format and many magazines and books are purchased and read in digital format as well. As a consequence, the digital part in personal archives is increasing more and more (and these are turning into “digital personal archives”); in the same way, personal libraries increasingly consist of digital books and magazines and therefore they are becoming ‘personal digital libraries’ too. In many cases digital material is stored on virtual spaces made available by cloud service providers and become accessible only to those who know (or have) the necessary credentials. But faced with this transformation, many people begin to ask themselves: what will happen to these personal digital fonds after the death of the producers or owners? Will the heirs be able to accommodate this legacy? To answer these questions, we need to face the problem of the transmission of the digital legacy, fully understanding the implications that derive from having entrusted personal fonds to systems often protected by inscrutable access mechanisms and trying to identify the solutions that could allow them to secure their future, avoiding falling into that ‘digital dark age’ that more than someone has already begun to foreshadow.