I think this is a great discussion to have; I think a lot of us have not
really considered the long term issues with data storage, and with the
relatively recent advent of high capacity digital storage, we've not had
to think about things like outdated hardware/software before.

I have been "caught out" by outdated hardware... I stored hundreds of site
photos on a proprietary external drive. In the short 5 years I was working
with this data, a) the drive manufacturer stopped making the hardware b)
the drive manufacturer stopped updating their drivers to be compatible
with the new operating systems c) the drive manufacturer stopped
supporting the hardware/software altogether and d) both of the external
drives I had failed. I could not get them to read any of the disks for
love nor money.

Fortunately, all was not lost, and I was able to find someone (almost a
complete stranger) to transfer the data to CDs for me. But it was a close
call.


Increasingly, my vote for storage is microfilm / microfiche. Compact,
archival, and even if we enter a new Dark Age, readable with a simple
light source and magnifying lens.

--Megan Springate.


> The secret is redundancy. No place is safe. Lots of irreplaceable
> archives are lost to fires, floods, mudslides, volcanoes, etc every
> year. My brother makes his living recovering and remastering material
> for the big movie studios, TV networks, and lots of other
> organizations. You have watched or listened to many of the results of
> his ability to recover data. Many of his clients will not allow him
> to say that he has worked for them. All of them thought their
> archives were securely stored.
>
> He recommends putting digital data on hard drives, making copies and
> periodically (generally this is every three years) doing it all over
> again.
>
> On Apr 27, 2006, at 12:47, Boyer, Jeffrey, DCA wrote:
>
>> The ongoing stream of messages about archiving digital data
>> includes a couple of responses about keeping hard copies in order
>> to outlive the vicissitudes of digital technology.  With that in
>> mind, I am forwarding to histarch (read below my "signature") a
>> poignant and hard-learned lesson about hard copies. Clearly,
>> diligence is primary.
>>
>> Jeff
>>
>> Jeffrey L. Boyer, RPA
>> Project Director
>> Office of Archaeological Studies
>> mail: P.O. Box 2087, Santa Fe, New Mexico  87504
>> physical: 407 Galisteo Street, Santa Fe, New Mexico  87501
>> tel: 505.827.6343          fax: 505.827.3904
>> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
>>
>> "It might look a bit messy now, but just you come back in 500 years
>> time."  --Terry Pratchett
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>>
>> From: NMAC-L on behalf of Turnbow, Chris, DCA
>> Sent: Thu 4/20/2006 12:52 PM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Sad News about Mera's Collections
>