Cambridge University launches project to rescue data trapped on old floppy disks
On October 9, Cambridge University Library opened its doors to anyone with an old floppy disk and a question: What’s on here? The public “Copy that Floppy” session marked the launch of Future Nostalgia, a year-long project dedicated to rescuing data from obsolete magnetic media before time and oxide decay make it impossible. The idea…
On October 9, Cambridge University Library opened its doors to anyone with an old floppy disk and a question: What’s on here? The public “Copy that Floppy” session marked the launch of Future Nostalgia, a year-long project dedicated to rescuing data from obsolete magnetic media before time and oxide decay make it impossible.
The idea of a modern conservation lab helping people read their ancient WordPerfect documents or lost BASIC code might seem quaint or cute, but the initiative is rooted in real urgency. The library holds more than 150 floppy disks across its collections, including items from the Stephen Hawking archive, early research drafts, personal files, and software written for now-defunct machines.
The project has already drawn wider attention. Earlier this week, the BBC’s Future section ran a feature on Cambridge’s work, framing it as part of a global effort to rescue knowledge trapped on obsolete media. The piece followed visitors as they handed over floppy disks containing forgotten family archives and decades-old research, underscoring how much personal and historical data now resides on disks that few machines can even read.
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