| "Digitized information, especially on the
| |
| | University assigns a numerical handle to
|
| Internet, has such rapid turnover these
| |
| | every digital "object" (record) in a
|
| days that total loss is the norm.
| |
| | repository. The handle is the clever
|
| Civilization is developing severe amnesia
| |
| | numerical result of a mathematical
|
| as a result; indeed it may have become
| |
| | formula whose input is the number of
|
| too amnesiac already to notice the
| |
| | information bits in the original object
|
| problem properly."(Stewart Brand,
| |
| | being deposited. This allows to track and
|
| President, The Long Now Foundation
| |
| | uniquely identify records across multiple
|
| )Thousands of articles and essays posted
| |
| | repositories. It also prevents tampering.
|
| by hundreds of authors were lost forever
| |
| | SAV also offers application layers. These
|
| when surprisingly shut its virtual gates.
| |
| | allow programmers to develop digital
|
| A sizable portion of the 1960 census,
| |
| | archive software and permit users to
|
| recorded on UNIVAC II-A tapes, is now
| |
| | change the "view" (the interface) of an
|
| inaccessible. Web hosts crash daily,
| |
| | archive and thus to mine data. Its
|
| erasing in the process valuable content.
| |
| | "reliability layer" verifies the
|
| Access to web sites is often suspended -
| |
| | completeness and accuracy of digital
|
| or blocked altogether - because of a real
| |
| | repositories.The Internet Archive, a
|
| (or imagined) violation by the webmaster
| |
| | leading digital depository, in its own
|
| of the host's Terms of Service (TOS).
| |
| | words:"...is working to prevent the
|
| Millions of other web sites - the results
| |
| | Internet - a new medium with major
|
| of collective, multi-annual,
| |
| | historical significance - and other
|
| transcontinental efforts - contain unique
| |
| | "born-digital" materials from
|
| stores of information in the form of
| |
| | disappearing into the past. Collaborating
|
| databases, articles, discussion threads,
| |
| | with institutions including the Library
|
| and links to other web sites. Consider
| |
| | of Congress and the Smithsonian, we are
|
| "Central Europe Review". Its archives
| |
| | working to permanently preserve a record
|
| comprise more than 2500 articles and
| |
| | of public material."Data storage is the
|
| essays about every conceivable aspect of
| |
| | first phase. It is not as simple as it
|
| Central and Eastern Europe and the
| |
| | sounds. The proliferation of formats of
|
| Balkan. It is one of countless such
| |
| | digital content has made it necessary to
|
| collections.Similar and much larger
| |
| | develop a standard for archiving Internet
|
| treasures have perished since the dawn of
| |
| | objects. The size of the digitized
|
| the digital age in the 1920's. Very few
| |
| | collections must pose a serious challenge
|
| early radio and TV programs have
| |
| | as far as timely retrieval is concerned.
|
| survived, for instance. The current
| |
| | Interoperability issues (numerous formats
|
| "digital dark age" can be compared only
| |
| | and readers) probably requires software
|
| to the one which followed the torching of
| |
| | and hardware plug-ins to render a smooth
|
| the Library of Alexandria. The more
| |
| | and transparent user interface.Moreover,
|
| accessible and abundant the information
| |
| | as time passes, digital data, stored on
|
| available to us - the more devalued and
| |
| | magnetic media, tend to deteriorate. It
|
| common it becomes and the less
| |
| | must be copied to newer media every 10
|
| institutional and cultural memory we seem
| |
| | years or so ("migration"). Advances in
|
| to possess. In the battle between paper
| |
| | hardware and software applications render
|
| and screen, the former has won
| |
| | many of the digital records
|
| formidably. Newspaper archives, dating
| |
| | indecipherable (try reading your word
|
| back to the 1700's are now being
| |
| | processing files from 1981, stored on
|
| digitized - testifying to the endurance,
| |
| | 5.25" floppies!). Special emulators of
|
| resilience, and longevity of paper.Enter
| |
| | older hardware and software must be used
|
| the "Internet Libraries", or Digital
| |
| | to decode ancient data files. And, to
|
| Archival Repositories (DAR). These are
| |
| | ameliorate the impact of inevitable
|
| libraries that provide free access to
| |
| | natural disasters, accidents,
|
| digital materials replicated across
| |
| | bankruptcies of publishers, and
|
| multiple servers ("safety in
| |
| | politically motivated destruction of data
|
| redundancy"). They contain Web pages,
| |
| | - multiple copies and redundant systems
|
| television programming, films, e-books,
| |
| | and archives must be maintained. As time
|
| archives of discussion lists, etc. Such
| |
| | passes, data formatting "dictionaries"
|
| materials can help linguists trace the
| |
| | will be needed. Data preservation is
|
| development of language, journalists
| |
| | hardly useful if the data cannot be
|
| conduct research, scholars compare notes,
| |
| | searched, retrieved, extracted, and
|
| students learn, and teachers teach. The
| |
| | researched. And, as "The Economist" put
|
| Internet's evolution mirrors closely the
| |
| | it ("The Economist Technology Quarterly,
|
| social and cultural history of North
| |
| | September 22nd, 2001), without a "Rosetta
|
| America at the end of the 20th century.
| |
| | Stone" of data formats, future
|
| If not preserved, our understanding of
| |
| | deciphering of stored the data might
|
| who we are and where we are going will be
| |
| | prove to be an insurmountable
|
| severely hampered. The clues to our
| |
| | obstacle.Last, but by no means least,
|
| future lie ensconced in our past. It is
| |
| | Internet libraries are Internet based.
|
| the only guarantee against repeating the
| |
| | They themselves are as ephemeral as the
|
| mistakes of our predecessors. Long gone
| |
| | historical record they aim to preserve.
|
| Web pages cached by the likes of Google
| |
| | This tenuous cyber existence goes a long
|
| and Alexa constitute the first tier of
| |
| | way towards explaining why our paperless
|
| such archival undertaking.The Stanford
| |
| | offices consume much more paper than ever
|
| Archival Vault (SAV) in Stanford
| |
| | before.
|
