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Re: Technological obsolescence



...and this illustrates one of the dangers of data migration. What happens
when someone forgets to do it?

We have a large number of reel-to-reel audio tapes in our collection. Our
library media center doesn't want to handle anything but digital media
anymore, so they no longer have an operable machine. (They have a fine old
R-R player, but it's broken and they snarl whenever I suggest they get it
repaired).

And the snarling brings up another point: who will PAY for the data
migration?

Thomas J. Wood
Archivist
Archives/Special Collections LIB 144
University of Illinois at Springfield
P.O. Box 19243
Springfield IL 62794-9243
217-206-6520 | wood@uis.edu | http://www.uis.edu/library/lib-arch


-----Original Message-----
From: Wick, Charles Harrison [mailto:cwick@INDIANA.EDU]
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2002 1:46 PM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Re: Technological obsolescence


I have also had the experience of the 8" floppies, its almost impossible to
find a 5.25" nowadays.  Another concern is for video and audio formats.
Here at IU, I recently came across a treasure trove of oral history
interviews with Emeritus faculty, taken in the mid-1970's.  These were on
Super Beta, and after a fruitless search for a player on campus and the
local vicinity, we ended up saving them as simply artifacts, and as a
warning/reminder to migrate and reformat.  At least we can still find audio
reel players and can use cassettes recorded 25+ years ago.

C. Harrison S. Wick, M.L.S., M.A.
Archivist, Head of Public & Technical Services
Black Film Center & Archives
Indiana University
Bloomington, Indiana

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