Vinegar syndrome

Something is rotting, deep in the stacks of Australia's oldest library. It's microfilm. Annabel Crabb dives into the unsettling world of historical preservation in the age of digital storage, asking: Does data live forever in the cloud? How can I protect my photos? Are my emails secure? Could the hoarding of historical items be the correct solution after all? Why can't we just print it all out?

This episode's speakers:

• Maggie Patton — Head of Collection Acquisition & Curation
• Matthew Burgess - Lead Digital Archivist

The photo for this episode is courtesy of State Library of NSW.

• Presenter: Annabel Crabb
• Researcher: Julia O'Shea
• Audio Engineer: Harvey O'Sullivan
• Supervising Producer: Rachael Cusick
• Executive Producers: Eric George and Carmel Rooney
• Head of Audio on Demand: Jessica Radburn

To hear the rest of the History Or Hoarding? podcast series, or for more of the best history podcasts covering Australian history, global history including war, politics, literature and some of the most interesting people, moments and turning points in history, go to ABC listen Australia's history tab or the ABC Australia channel or wherever you get your podcasts.

To add the History Or Hoarding? podcast to your playlist, just tap 'favourite' or 'follow' on your app and you'll never miss an episode.