Converging in the sense that everyone is confronting similar issues
for example different sectors are trying to address the
software/hardware obsolescence issue for the different media they
are involved with. For video the UPF initiative, for records
management there's a BSI working party sponsored by our Public Record
Office which is looking at "bundling" of parts of the software with
the records data package to extend the shelf-life between migrations
and streamline formats and costs.
Similarly each sector is increasingly using the concept of the
life-cycle of a resource in some form to manage/influence data
creation and preservation.
They are diverging in the sense that many initiatives are restricted
to a single sector at present, although that is changing as awareness
and cross-sectoral collaboration increases. However awareness of the
issues and challenges in digital preservation is still not
widespread. The TV and press coverage for the film and conference
noted on the Timeandbits discussion seems a great step forward.
Neil
On Wed, 18 Mar 1998 14:36:57 -0800 Stewart Brand <> wrote:
> That's extremely helpful, Neil. To me it looks like further indication
> that Europe is leading the way on this issue.
>
> Is it your sense that the digital preservation efforts so far are trending
> toward convergence, or toward divergence?...
>
>
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Neil Beagrie
Collections and Standards Officer
The Executive
Arts and Humanities Data Service
King's College London
Strand, London WC2R 2LS, UK
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