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Re: Technological obsolescence



The danger in data migration is relying on someone else to do it. Anytime
you accept digital media you need to develop a migration plan, work with the
folks who will actually have to implement it and then monitor it. A
percentage of your collection has to sampled each year, you need to know
what media you have, any special requirements and what your hardware and
software needs. The cost has to be included in someone's budget.

Maybe the problem with the library media center is that you want them to pay
for repairing a machine only you need, if you offer to pay all or part of
the repairs maybe they will be more accommodating. Shoot, they may even give
it to you.

Any time you have non-paper material you have to plan and budget for it.
Don't wait until someone needs it.

Bob Nawrocki

-----Original Message-----
From: Wood, Thomas [mailto:Wood.Thomas@UIS.EDU]
Sent: Monday, July 15, 2002 3:00 PM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: 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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