PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
Intergovernmental Council for the
Information for All ProgrammeTwelfth Meeting of the Bureau
Open thematic debate on
Information Preservation
Paris, 3 April 2007
Dietrich Schüller
Presenting the Context
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Preservation of information
Two basic tasks• bring documents into repositories• preserve documents
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Bringing documents into repositories
Selection vs keeping everything – (administration) archives vs libraries (depot legal)
Sub-issue: the case of audio-, video, and electronic documents hitherto outside professional custody
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Preserving documents
The paradox inverse relation between age of document technology and longevity: clay tablets vs digital files
Additional threat for machine readable documents: availability of specific hard and software
Shift from passive to active preservation
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
The role of digitisation
All kinds of documents• Opening new dimensions of democratic access • Secondary preservation by lifting stress from originals
by use
Audio and video documents• Indispensable measure for long-term preservation by
subsequent migration
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Digitisation ≠ (yet) preservation
Generally, text and photographic materials are preserved in their original forms, digital copies are surrogates for access only
Audio and video: digitisation is not the final solution for preservation, but only a first step
Digital files are the most endangered species amongst documents, vulnerable and volatile
Long-term preservation of digital information is a considerable technical, strategic, and financial challenge
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Costs of preservation
Classical documents • optimising and maintaining storage conditions• restoration• disaster preparedness
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Audio, video and electronic documents
Conversion (“ingest”) to digital repositories (NB: digital documents generally also need some conversion)
Maintaining digital files alive• data integrity checking• migration: automated systems vs manual approaches• hardware and storage media prices plunging• software
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Present digital preservation costs:
5-8 $ or € /GB/year
Aim to be reached within short (?) term:
1 $ or € /GB/year
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Memory of the World Sub-Committee on Technology:
Kevin Bradley: Risks Associated with the Use of Recordable CDs and DVDs as Reliable Storage Media in Archival Collections - Strategies and Alternatives, Paris, UNESCO 2006 www.unesco.org/webworld/risk
Kevin Bradley et al: Open Source Archival Repository Software (to be published 2007)
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Worldwide overview (sketch)
Situation of archives dependent from • organisational• financial• climatic
frame work
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Organisation and financing
Strongly dependant from governmental input – private sponsorship upcoming
Central vs decentralised institutions
Problems of continuity of funding in GIS countries
EU commission supported access, but left preservation to member states
Worldwide: 80% of materials related to cultural and linguistic diversity outside (proper) archival custody
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
UNESCO Memory of the World Programme
Member states should use its potential for awareness raising – beyond the register!
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Climatic conditions in southern countries
Permanent struggle against• humidity• temperature • insects and pest• fungus
Low-cost improvement of storage conditions possible
Digitisation potential factor in reducing permanent storage costs
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Acetate cellulose tape suffering from extreme deformation due to hydrolysis
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Fungus growth through permanent storage at RH-levels above 65 %
PHONOGRAMMARCHIV − AUSTRIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Dietrich Schüller
Thank you !
www.pha.oeaw.ac.at
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