>Assuming civilization moving forward needs positively directed vectors in
>both dimensions, how can the media vector be turned around? Through
>custodianship, or quite independently of it? Through standards, codes,
>laws? Through technological ingenuity, inventive genius, all of the
>above?
Certainly all of the above. However, what needs to be recognised at the
outset is that there are disciplines whose primary focus is the permanent
preservation of authentic documentary material (i.e., archival science,
diplomatics, library science, museology, conservation, etc.). I firmly
believe that we need systematic, rigorous research conducted within the
framework of the concepts and principles of each one of those disciplines.
To put everything that is digital in the same basket is wrong, because the
criteria governing the selection, authentication and preservation of
records, fluid information, library material, works of art (the
preservation of music scores--Tom shows--needs a special kind of
understanding of that type of material), etc. are very different. The
disciplines that can contribute to solve the physical preservation
questions posed by digital material should do so within the intellectual
framework of the archival discipline, if the material concerned is records,
of library science, if the material concerned is books, etc.
Digital obsolescence is not going to go away, and digital material is not
going to be enduring, because both problems are willingly induced by the
market. The answers to the question of permanent preservation of digital
material are not going to be in the realm of technology, other then very
partially (e.g., technology standards can be defined and the industry can
be convinced to adopt them so that, for example, migration will not imply a
high percentage of loss). Rather, the answers are in the realm of policy
and procedure and will involve political and administrative choices that
can be very unpopular, like a strong movement towards centralization of
recordkeeping.
All the above is the general sense I get from all the research I have done
in the past about the creation of reliable electronic records. As to
answers, I hope to find them as a result of the research project I am
beginning now, together with an international and interdisciplinary group
of researchers, on the long-term preservation of authentic electronic
records (just records, that is, the bodies of documents made or received by
organizations or individuals in the usual and ordinary course of their
practical activity as a means for carring out such activity rather than as
its intended product). The intellectual framework for the research will be
the concepts and principles of diplomatics and archival science. Within
such framework, the concepts of other disciplines will be brought to bear
on diplomatic and archival ideas: chemistry, math, knowledge engineering,
computer science, law, history, commerce, public administration, etc.
To sum up, my point is very simply that we need to go back to basics and
turn the discussion around. What will be preserved will not be selected on
a item by item basis. The immediate, short-term choices are made that way:
what score? the digital or the analogue? The choice is the artist's or,
later, his publishing house, maybe. The long term choices need to be done
according to agreed upon strategies, criteria, methodologies for large
categories of material. Most of these strategies, criteria and methods have
already been developed in the context of well established disciplines that
deal with material having a common nature. Let's look at them and see how
far they bring us and then let's build on them.
I do realise that all this may sound terriby vague and abstract to those
who are not familiar with the disciplines and the specific issues presented
by different types of material (e.g., records versus books). Therefore, I
will shut up.
Luciana
PS. If anyone is interested in understanding better what I am talking
about, he or she can go and give a look to the web site where the findings
of my concluded research are described. The address is
http://www.slais.ubc.ca/users/duranti/
PPS. As Vice-President of the Society of the American Archivists, I will
tell you that the SAA is supporting the new proposed copyright bill. If the
bill gets through, the custodians of ER for cultural purposes should have
an easier life.