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Sociological studies and surveys must retain the original questionnaires and
interviews, because later statistical analyses of them can present many
biased or prejudiced outcomes.

The tape in a data or voice recorder in an airplane is saved as the basic
"record". Typed transcriptions are approximations of the original data,
influenced by the interpretation of the transcriber.

An old handwritten journal, diary or ledger is a basic "record" (a snapshot
at the time of its creation). Any changes have to be by hand crossouts (no
"white-out" existed in the old days) and are obvious to the reader.

A problem with modern computer databases is that they can be changed so
easily, and data made
to disappear with no indication in the new version of what was changed.

Here, I think, we have to turn to the computer equipment people. They must
perform backups of databases (snapshots of the data at that time of
creation) on some medium which can be flagged as read-only and physically
removed from the computer, so that it cannot be changed. The metadata of the
dataset must show what was the last change on what date.

By the way.... remember that these equipment people have a different
definition of "record". To them, it is a single entry of information - a
data item in the overall dataset. The Archivist's "record" will consist of
many computer records.

Gunnar M. Berg
YIVO Institute


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Pearce-Moses [mailto:rpm9@MINDSPRING.COM]
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 1:23 PM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: Archiving information within databases


----- Original Message -----
From: "Wood, Thomas" <Wood.Thomas@uis.edu>
To: "'Richard Pearce-Moses'" <rpm9@MINDSPRING.COM>;
<ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2001 10:55 AM
Subject: RE: Archiving information within databases

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