'Saving' the floppy disk: funding unlocks preservation work at Cambridge University Library

Cambridge University Library is a crucial step closer to safeguarding floppy disk knowledge following the award of a British Academy/ Leverhulme Small Research Grant. Billions sold in the 90s ¹, yet these storage devices are now deemed obsolete. As the disks start to deteriorate in Library and Museum collections, the project 'Future Nostalgia: Safeguarding the knowledge of floppy disks' aims to investigate best practice in their preservation.

The aims of this project are two-fold, first to create a resource to have one central point for safeguarding floppy disk knowledge. Secondly, to enhance this knowledge by interviewing individuals who have worked with floppy disks, and by running several experiments with conservation specialists. Knowledge from specialists, general users and even the retro gaming community will form part of the expertise project lead, Leontien Talboom (Technical Analyst), will be seeking out and recording.  

Floppy disks have been around for over sixty years and once were a popular method of file storage, used in both professional and personal settings. Yet, due to their composition floppy disks have started to deteriorate. They consist of a thin layer of plastic that is coated in iron oxide. This iron oxide loses its magnetism over time, leading to data loss. ² This has led to many institutions creating disk images, byte-by-byte snapshots, to preserve their contents. However, creating a disk image only seems to be the first step in safeguarding and accessing the content on these carriers. The reliability of various tools and techniques for transferring floppy disk material is uncertain, and there is no clear best practice workflow. 

As floppy disks were once part of everyday use and may be deemed trivial, vital knowledge on preserving and using existing disks is at risk of being lost. There are no clear resources available within the field on a more detailed understanding of transferring material from the disks. This is a point Leontien seeks to address and rectify for the benefit of the digital preservation sector.

Cambridge is the ideal setting for work around floppy disks to be situated as it has a rich history in the development of computers and technology. The BBC Micro, a popular microcomputer in the 1980s, was produced by Acorn Computers, based in Cambridge. It is also home to the Centre for Computing History, one of the main institutions focusing on the development of computer technology. Through Leontien’s work, imaging Cambridge University’s Library own collection of around 150 floppy disks, remarkable discoveries have been made, including the personal files of Stephen Hawking and abstract lists by English poet Nicholas Moore. Leontien is also getting ready to image disks formatted for the Lexitron machine, one of the earliest word processers.

As part of the project, a workshop with specialists will be held with the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC). This workshop will help feed into the resource which will include all gathered knowledge and information from the project’s interviews and experiments. The resource will then become accessible on the DPC’s website. Additionally, a public local engagement workshop will be held, this is an opportunity for attendees to bring along their own floppy disks for transfer and learn about the wider concerns around obsolete media. 

Floppy disks are an important example of the significance of digital preservation and why it is needed to ensure a future for our digital heritage. This project will guarantee floppy disk knowledge is not lost for future generations to come.