Over 70 years, the Delaware County Historical Society (DCHS) has amassed more than a terabyte of digital photographs, videos, audio histories, and object descriptions. These files are made available to the public through the organization’s website and are often used for research and education.

Much of the material is irreplaceable, and if lost, would leaving a gaping hole in the local collective histories. In order to reliably protect the files and make them available to the public, the DCHS needs a large amount of data storage and an efficient back up system.

Recently, the DCHS was awarded a grant from the Delaware County Foundation’s Ron Sabatino Family Fund. The money received has been used to purchase a network-attached storage (NAS) system. This is a data storage device connected to the DCHS network, which provides real time access to the data, plus a convenient method of sharing files among multiple computers. In addition, the DCHS can now take advantage of having its network extended to both the Meeker general office and the Cryder Research Library by backing up the data from Cryder to Meeker and vice versa, thus providing data security and getting a cost savings from not using a commercial cloud backup solution.

“We are pleased to award this grant that will modernize and expand the important backup infrastructure and ensure that the data entrusted to the Delaware County Historical Society will be preserved for future generations,” said Marlene Casini, president of the Delaware County Foundation. These stories, objects, and photographs will “live forever.”

The Delaware County Historical Society is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote, preserve, and sustain interest in the history of Delaware County. The Barn at Stratford is operated by DCHS as an event venue for weddings, corporate meetings, and other special occasions. To learn more, visit the venue and society websites at barnatstratford.org and delawareohiohistory.org.

The Delaware County Foundation is a community foundation that through the generosity of its donors, provides grants and scholarships throughout the county.