[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: CD Longevity



I agree, migration is not only expensive, but it can cause more problems
down the line.  Traditionally, when a collection was acquired, many
electronic formats were either stockpiled or discarded, because what
institution has the space or money to keep the technology around to read
older formats, including (beta, 8.5" disks and 5.25"), not to mention 8 mm
and 16 mm films, and it will get to the same point with VHS, cassettes, 3.5"
disks; and CD-Roms and DVD, not to mention jpegs and mp3s, will all
inevitably be in the same boat.  But the awareness that migration needs to
be done is important, and as long as it is not ignored, information will not
be lost.  I seem to remember in the beginning that many people simply
printed out electronic records on paper, and then deleted them, and in some
cases this might work, but what about the preservation of metadata and the
issue of provenance?  Some record of the phsyical or intellectual
format/arrangement of electronic records, (ie. disk, xml or windows
document), needs to be maintained thoroughout the life-cycle.  The problem
is, how can an archives be responsible for the cost/benefit of storing,
maintaining and migrating so many electronic records?

Harrison Wick, MLS, MA
Acquisitions Coordinator
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana

-----Original Message-----
From: Jan Hart [mailto:jhart@IRVINGLIBRARY.ORG]
Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 10:33 AM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: CD Longevity


Before we can migrate our data, we have to get the funds to pay for doing
that!  I'm not sure many businesses or institutions are fully committed to
spending whatever amount of money it takes to migrate data again and again.
This is very expensive, and no one even knows how much it will cost the next
time it needs to be done.  It's a large, unpredictable expenditure lurking
out there waiting to derail budgets and projections.

Jan Hart, CA, CRM
Senior Archivist
Irving Archives, Irving Public Library
P. O. Box 152288
Irving, Texas 75015-2288
Telephone:  972-721-3729
Fax: 972-721-8056
E-mail:  jhart@irvinglibrary.org
www.irvinglibrary.org


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Margaret  Monroe [SMTP:Margaret_H_Monroe@DOT.CA.GOV]
> Sent: Thursday, May 30, 2002 10:13 AM
> To:   ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
> Subject:      Re: CD Longevity
>
> I wonder why anyone would be concerned about archival CD-ROMs.  Technology
> changes so fast that no one can guarantee that in only 10 years you will
> be
> able to easily find a working machine that will be able to play
> present-day
> CDs.  Example: anyone on this list have a computer than can handle 5"
> floppies?   And I read that there are only two machines in the world that
> can read the punched tape that the 1960 US Census data is stored on.
>
> We all must migrate our data onto the current storage system.
>
>
> Margaret Monroe
>
> State of California Department of Transportation
> Structure Maintenance & Investigations - Toll Bridges
> District 3
> District Office, Room 10 - 400
> P. O. Box 23660
> Oakland, CA  94623 - 0660
>
> Voice: 510 - 286 - 6188
> Fax:    510 - 286 - 0353
>
> A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
>       In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
>                     *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
> To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu
>
> Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
>      http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html
>
> Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>

A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
                    *or*:  UNSUB ARCHIVES
To post a message, send e-mail to archives@listserv.muohio.edu

Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>