Physical media such as photographs, CDs, and DVDs are well on their way to becoming obsolete. From the influx digital photography to the downloading of instant movies and music from the Internet, physical media will soon be a thing of the past. When was the last time you flipped through a pack of old photos? Not only are these antiquated storage formats cumbersome, but they can also take up considerable space. Consider these options for ways to organize all your old media.
CD storage case
CD/DVD Binder – If you must keep your CDs and DVDs, consider using a Disc binder to organize the contents. Transferring CDs and DVDs to a binder allows you to discard the jewel cases, thereby freeing up additional storage space. Album covers can easily be transferred to the binder as well.
Digital Media – CDs, DVDs, photographs, and other media can take up valuable space in your home, especially if you have a vast collection. To save space, consider transferring all your media to an external hardrive on your computer. This is the best option for saving space and keeping your media backed up. Photos can be scanned using a flat bed scanner. Most all-in-one printers that can produce copies have this capability. DVDs and CDs can be “ripped” using free open source software and uploaded to your favorite online music service to stream online. Digital storage prices have decreased rapidly, and will continue to do so. A 1 terabyte drive can be purchased for less than $50. Media transferred to your computer can be organized by date, title, genre, artist, etc. After all your media is digital, you can eliminate all your older physical media and free up valuable space around your home or office.
Organized photo album
Photo Album – Just as optical discs can be organized in a binder, photos can easily be stored and organized in a photo album. Take all your developed photographs out of the developing envelopes and transfer them to photo albums with clear plastic sleeves. Photos should be organized chronologically according to each event or category of activity. Bonus points: use scrap-booking materials to give your photo album a fun and unique theme for each page.
Scan Photos & Documents – Scanning all your documents and photos can free up lots of physical space. Also, the physical copies can end up getting damaged or faded, which doesn’t happen to digital files. I recommend using this scanner for extremely fast and easy scanning of all types of photos, documents, and business cards.
Vertical Space – Store CD/DVDs on a hanging rack on the back of an empty door. Elfa has great solutions for storing all your optical discs.
Cloud Storage – Another digital option for storing your media, and any other files you may own, is to store them in a “Cloud.” Cloud storage offers the ability to upload all your information to a remote Internet server so you can access your files anywhere you have Internet access. These services typically charge a recurring fee, but offer you the best options for reducing storage space, secure backups, and availability of your data. Services such as Amazon’s S3 service, Microsoft’s SkyDrive (which is free), and DropBox (which offers both free and premium plans) are some of the major options available. However, many new cloud storage services are becoming available. Note: For security purposes, security experts recommend you encrypt your data before transferring and uploading it to any cloud storage service.
So whether you are looking to simply organize some home photos and CDs, or you’re ready to step up to the latest digital media storage solutions, your media collection can be organized to save you space and allow you to quickly and easily find what you’re searching for.
