DEAR ABBY: "Harriet From Tampa's" advice about having elderly relatives record their memories for future generations is wonderful. As the family historian and genealogist, I know how valuable these personal histories can be.
However, I'm asking you to remind your readers that magnetic media are surprisingly fragile. Recording artists and engineers have gone back to the studio only to discover that tapes made as recently as 30 years ago are flaking away and worthless. Cassette tapes that sit on a shelf untouched for decades develop "dropouts" for no reason. Media preferences change, too -- many children growing up today have no idea what to do with a vinyl phonograph record, and the same fate could befall today's audio- and videocassettes.
By all means, have Aunt Edna record her history. But if she gives you an audio recording, make sure you transcribe it right away as a backup. And if you use a word processor, print the file. A computer file will last only as long as today's word processor, and the hard drive is a magnetic medium as well, making it as vulnerable as audiotape. The paper might yellow, but it stands a better chance of surviving the centuries than tapes and computer disks.
And while you're printing the file, make several copies and send them to various relatives who might also be interested in saving them for posterity. Some will inevitably be destroyed, but the more copies that are made, the more likely one will be preserved. -- CHARLES O'REILLY, RUTHERFORD, N.J.
DEAR CHARLES: I hope families who are interested in preserving their family histories will take your advice. Technology has taken a giant leap in the last 100 years. It's ironic, however, that the most reliable way of preserving the information is still on paper -- a "technology" that was perfected 2,000 years ago.