The archivist preserving decaying floppy disks
Summary
Popular Science profiles Cambridge University Library archivist Leontien Talboom as she works to recover data from aging floppy disks and prevent decades of digital history from decaying. The article explains the challenges of imaging heterogeneous disk formats and magnetic decay, and highlights collaboration with retro computing hobbyists to rescue data before it becomes unreadable. It underscores the broader importance of long-term digital preservation for science, government records, and culture.