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Request for sources on creating & organizing archives of electronic materials



Hello Archivists,

I need advice about the best available references for defining models for organizing, accessing, and archiving electronic documents. In my field, software engineering, we create various documents related to product requirements, and to the design, implementation, & testing of systems of computer programs. When the time comes to archive these documents, we naively focus on the technology for storing the documents instead of on maintaining access to the content. Some of the problems we encounter when organizing the content of our archived material reflect the limitations imposed by the technology and operating systems, and by non-product  issues like idiosyncratic filing systems or the corporate entity that purchased the storage software. While each of these has an impact on the structure of the system, they are not applied or understood consistently, nor is there a formal methodology for doing so. The resulting archive systems are often defined in an ad hoc manner, created without knowledge of the fundamentals of archiving information for preservation, ease of retrieval, & control of access to authorized people. The systems contain terabytes of useful information that are difficult to search with a goal of retrieving summary information about the content & its location.

It occurs to me that our species has been busy collecting, categorizing, and controlling access to various artifacts and information for more than a couple of millennia. The problems that I describe in software engineering are quite likely problems that have had solutions or heuristics for a very long time. This is the reason I am posting my request. Putting aside the hubris that seems to go with the engineering professions, I'm stepping outside of my discipline, asking for help from those who know much more than I. Any direction to sources & related fields of inquiry would be welcomed.

Thanks,

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John A. Hunter
Sr. Design Engineer
Schlumberger Resource Management Services, Inc.
313-B Hwy 11
West Union, SC 29696
(864) 638-4936
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