Technologist Talk: Rescuing history from obsolete digital tech
Nov 11

What did people use computers for when they first entered the home? Where is the content created during the early days of personal computing now? And what happens when the technology needed to access digital collections becomes obsolete? 

Join Professor Melanie Swalwell and Dr. Cynde Moya from Swinburne University’s Digital Heritage Lab to explore how the history of our computer use is preserved. Learn how content stored on CD-ROMs, floppy disks and other outdated formats can be retrieved and made accessible again. The session will be especially useful for artists, historians, and people working with collections or digital preservation. 

State Library Victoria Digital Archivist Susannah Bourke will introduce the Library’s preservation work, including its participation in AusEaaSI. This national network helps libraries, archives, galleries, and museums access older software and digital content through emulation. 

Training and technical support from Cynde have helped the Library preserve content from optical media and floppy disks. The collaboration has also brought State Library Victoria content from the 2000s back to life, including the State Library Virtual Tours website. 

Discover how digital preservation can keep our shared history accessible for future generations. 

Photo by Yeoseop Yoon