I think it's worthwhile to return to the original message, for moment, that
this incident "makes the case for digitization". While it is important that
we maintain paper records, and ensure their proper curation, digitization
has important positive consequences. First of all, a great many digitized
records make it to the web, where many of them are downloaded, and in
essence become backed up not on one server farm, but on hundreds, sometimes
even thousands, of separate computers. In addition, records which are
otherwise out of reach to many researchers (too far to travel, not enough
money....don't forget us students) can become accessible through web portals
or records in other electronic distribution formats. And finally, there is
searchability. In my job, I make constant use of scanned documents that
utilized optical-character-recognition (OCR), allowing me to search a great
many documents...that do not have indexes....for a wide range of search
terms (these documents are often 100 pages long or more). While I could do
this without a digitized copy, time and money will not always allow it.

A good example is mining location notices, affidavits of annual labor, etc.
that I have often looked through for my research. I must say that looking
through microfiched indexes and trying to make out poorly microfiched
historic documents is nowhere as nice as searching through such records for
1979 on, which are digitized and electronically indexed. Not to mention my
trepidation when the microfiche's condition does not look so great, and I
worry about damaging it in long searches through it - since there are so few
copies.

-Max Dean

On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 4:46 PM, Ron May <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> For the past 20-years, I have argued that we should be taking advantage of
> surplus military underground bunkers for collection and records archives.
> These
>  can be sealed with waterproof materials, machinery can be installed to
> balance  the humidity and temperature, and security can be insured with
> steel doors
> and  cypher locks. Bunkers of all shapes and sizes were created between the
> Civil War  and Cold War that are now surplus or vacant. I am sure there are
> similar bunkers  available throughout Europe, as well. Had Cologne taken
> advantage of one of  these bunkers, a collapsed building would only seal
> access and
> not hurt  anything.
>
> With a small grant and a lot of self help, the U.S. Navy converted a 1942
> hospital morgue (with dirt floors) to a small archives for archaeological
> collections, field notes, photos, etc. in the Fort Rosecrans Historic
> District.
> The morgue measured 40-feet by 10-feet and is 8-feet wide and is accessed
> by two
>  tunnel entrances. The walls were saturated with 2-ply epoxy that
> off-gassed
> before installing the collections. The walls are steel reinforced concrete
> and were formed over corrugated steel pipes (pulled out to create a strong
> arch
>  (in this case, the Army later removed the steel). This facility has
> earthquake  shelving, two HVAC machines, and is monitored each week
> (security goes by
> irregulary four times an hour). And the materials are only 100-feet from
> the
> research facility. Truth be known, there are probably standard plans for
> constructing these bunkers that could still be used to build new ones.
>
> Ron May
> Legacy 106, Inc.
>
>
>
>
> In a message dated 3/5/2009 3:47:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Those of  us involved in CRM in the States are often critical of the way
> archaeology is  handled in major urban projects, but we seem to have a
> better
> regulatory  system in place to avoid this kind of disaster.  It is to be
> hoped
> that  (not "hopefully") this will alert Germany and other EU members to
> their
> lack  of meaningful regulations to protect their cultural heritage (which
> of
> course  is not only theirs but ours as well).
>
>
>
> Morgan  Rieder
>
> Historical Architect, Tucson
>
> > Date: Thu, 5 Mar 2009  21:25:05 +0100
> > From: [log in to unmask]
> > Subject: Re: Cologne  Archives
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > They're apparently also  asking for help retrieving stuff, so I was
> vaguely
> > thinking of helping  out this weekend; there are videos here:
> >  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7922342.stm
> > &  here:
> >
>
> http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090304.wvcollapse0304/V
> >  ideoStory/VideoLineup/News
> > this is part of the new subway project,  which has had a lot of trouble:
> cost
> > overruns were recently blamed on  delays caused by archaeologists
> (doesn't
> > take a brain surgeon to  figure out that there is a lot of archaeology in
> the
> > middle of  Cologne, & that they should have planned for it better at the
> >  beginning; hiring 4 or 5 German firms to "manage" the excavations by
> hiring
> > student workers at 400 euros/month didn't help much, either  [students
> are
> > allowed to work enough hours to earn 400 euros without  losing their
> student
> > status, which would mean having to pay for  unemployment insurance &
> income
> > tax, among other things;  unfortunately most of the people on my wife's
> crew
> > were not even  studying archaeology...]; there should be a major scandal
> > because  local firms even undercut a bid by a Polish university... &
> there
> >  have been various rumours of serious health problems among some of the
> >  excavators [mercury poisoning, etc.], etc., etc.), so now I'm wondering
> how
> > they'll manage to blame the collapse on... archaeologists (had to  cut
> back
> > on health & safety precautions because of all those cost  overruns
> because
> of
> > the cut-budget archaeology...)...
> > they're  still not sure whether anyone has died: 2 are apparently
> missing,
> > but  with the weather, chances don't look good...
> >
> > -----Original  Message-----
> >
> > The archive office in Kon (Cologne) has  collapsed killing at least two
> > persons and much of German's greatest  urban archive (undamaged during
> > WW2) may have been lost- makes the  case for digitisation. I was going to
> > vist the city this weekend but  had to cancel holiday due to sick cat.
> > Masive new stoneware catalogue  of Cologne and Frechen stoneware has also
> > been published by the city  museum service while I remmber- can send
> > details if anyone  wants.
>
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