A Dogged Pursuit: Capturing Forensic Images of 3.5” Floppy Disks

Abstract

Over the last year, archivists at Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL) processed thirty-seven 3.5” floppy disks included amongst the papers of writer and activist Alice Walker. Early in this process, forensic images of the disks’ contents were captured and these bit-by-bit replicas of the data were stored as preservation copies. Digital Archives literature has focused on imaging as a practical solution for the transfer of data from aging and often obsolete media, and this article documents attempts at MARBL to put these recommendations into practice.