Data storage is something that I’ve always had an interest in. For my Curation Project, I chose to display the various forms of data storage available throughout the years. I made a list of some items I wanted to feature in my Curation Project. I searched multiple websites for images available in the public domain or via Creative Commons and related licenses. I discovered that I could find all the images I was looking for, plus found additional images that weren’t initially on my list on Pixabay via the “Pixabay License.” I downloaded the images individually by where I wanted to place them on my project, essentially chronologically, left to right and top to bottom. I was able to build my citation list at the same time.

   

I’ve been working in the Information Technology field for quite some time now. Initially doing Helpdesk, then Desktop Support, moved to a Systems Administrator position, and now I do Product (software) Support in Healthcare IT. I’ve seen many changes during my career and have worked with many forms of data storage, from swapping out memory and hard drives in desktops, laptops, and servers to performing data analytics in the cloud. I started my curation project by selecting an image of the Rosetta Stone. I felt it was an important starting point because it had three different scripts carved into it. The top and middle texts are written in hieroglyphics and Demotic, respectively, while the bottom text is in Ancient Greek. The three versions of the decree differ only marginally, making the Rosetta Stone essential for deciphering Egyptian scripts. The project moves to a few images of analog storage media that I felt were essential to popular culture, such as vinyl records and cassettes. Moving on to some early forms of digital data storage like ROM and RAM storage and floppy disks. Then I displayed some popular digital storage media from the not-too-distant past, a hard drive, and compact disks. I finally showed some images of cloud storage which I feel is an indispensable medium. Digital information has become so omnipresent in our lives and culture that it is difficult to imagine a world without it. As our storage requirements grow, the technology will continue to develop.