Digital Memorial Export, Backup, and Restore Evidence Compared

Direct answer and scope

An export is a set of files or information obtained from a hosted memorial; it is not, by itself, evidence that an independently readable preservation copy exists outside the commissioned service. The relevant questions include whether an export is available, what it contains, whether associated metadata accompanies it, and whether the resulting files can be read independently. The Library of Congress guidance for personal websites supports identifying important content, exporting selected information, saving metadata, and organizing the exported files.

A copy held by the commissioner, a vendor-hosted copy, and an additional copy in another location are separate evidence states. The National Archives describes the 3-2-1 approach as three copies on two different media, with one copy off-site. That approach is a planning reference, not confirmation that any particular set of copies exists or can be used for restoration.

Readability testing is another separate state. The supplied Library of Congress guidance advises checking files at least annually and making new media copies periodically or when needed. This frames preservation as an active review process rather than a one-time permanence promise.

The comparison does not confirm a vendor feature, export scope, file format, backup state, migration path, or restore result. No validated vendor, platform, product, account-control, export, file-format, backup, restore, or continuity manifest is attached to the launch pack.

How to use the official evidence

Start with the content that matters. Ask which memorial materials are intended for continued retention, which versions have long-term value, and how the files and folder structure will be documented. The supplied personal-digital-records guidance supports deciding which versions matter, using descriptive file names, organizing files, and documenting the folder structure without prescribing a particular format or number of versions.

For a hosted memorial, ask whether the service provides an independently readable export, what the export includes, and which metadata accompanies it. Do not treat a saved browser view as proof that all content or functionality has been captured. The official website-preservation guidance distinguishes selected exports, metadata, and organized files from assumptions about completeness or continuing functionality.

Then identify the holder and location of each copy. Ask whether a commissioner-held copy exists, whether another copy is held independently of the commissioned service, and whether one copy is located off-site. The Library of Congress and National Archives materials provide separate-copy and different-location planning references, while the supplied method requires these evidence states to remain distinct.

Finally, record whether saved files have been checked for readability and whether any migration or restoration exercise has actually been documented. The method treats export, independent copies, periodic tests, and continuity handoff as separate states. A QR image, live destination, or account question does not answer those file-preservation questions.

Decision framework

Use the evidence layers in order, without treating one layer as proof of another. First identify the requested artifact: for example, selected text, photographs, metadata, a page capture, or another defined set of memorial materials. The supplied guidance supports identifying important content and organizing exported information, but it does not establish what a particular vendor includes.

Next ask whether an export has been supplied and whether its contents are documented. A documented export question is narrower than a claim that the export is complete. Keep the answer tied to the actual artifact and metadata described in the evidence, rather than assuming that a hosted memorial's visible presentation represents every underlying file or function.

After that, separate copy relationships. Record whether a commissioner copy exists, whether it is independently held, and whether an additional off-site copy is identified. The 3-2-1 approach organizes copy count, media categories, and location categories as questions to resolve; it does not verify a backup or establish that synchronization is a backup.

Add a readability state for each saved file set and note the date of the latest check when evidence supplies one. Periodic checking is distinct from merely possessing a file. The official guidance describes readability checks and periodic copying as preservation activities, without establishing a universal replacement schedule for every medium.

Keep migration and restore in their own fields. Ask whether a migration plan has been documented, whether a test has been performed, what artifact was used, and what result was recorded. The supplied method requires unanswered export, backup, restore, and continuity questions to remain unresolved; it does not convert a copy count or an export label into restoration evidence.

Limits and what to verify next

This comparison cannot confirm that a vendor offers an export, that an export contains every memorial element, or that a saved file preserves the hosted experience. It also cannot confirm that a copy is independently held, that an off-site copy exists, or that a file remains readable. Those answers require current evidence tied to the specific service, account, artifact, and copy arrangement.

The next verification record should identify the requested materials and version status, including questions about master, approved, display, export, and documentation versions. These labels organize inquiry; they do not create a required file set or prescribe a file format, resolution, color space, layer structure, naming convention, or number of versions.

For each claimed copy, record who holds it, where it is located, what medium or system is involved, and whether the copy has been independently read. Keep the vendor copy, commissioner copy, and independent backup evidence states separate. An unverified or inaccessible copy should not be treated as established preservation evidence.

For restore or migration, request a documented description of the source artifact, destination, test action, and observed result. The launch pack contains no validated vendor-specific restore or migration manifest. The validated method separates supplied evidence from unresolved questions and does not turn an unanswered status into a positive conclusion.

The official Library of Congress personal digital archiving hub is a method route covering formats, descriptions, scanning, storage media, photographs, records, and websites. It is not evidence that any vendor, platform, format, QR system, cloud host, or memorial service is endorsed or suitable for a particular commission.

Questions people ask

Use these questions to distinguish possession, independence, location, readability, and demonstrated recovery rather than combining them into one status.

Evidence behind this page

Each point below is restricted to what the cited primary source supports. Administrative listing status is not a quality endorsement.