11th February 2011, 07:40 PM
(This post was last modified: 11th February 2011, 07:41 PM by kevin wooldridge.)
My answer when anyone asks about the question of the commutability and storage of digital data is to look at the newspaper and press agency industry. As well as making money from the profits of selling papers, selling news stories and attracting advertising, one of the long term sources of income to newpsapers is from their photo and news archives. Every news agency and newspaper in the UK has gone over to digital photography. All of their archives are now geared towards digital storage and digital reproduction. Very many newspapers have now digitised their paper archives as well. OK I am not saying that as a result they have ditched the 'originals', but the fact is that nothing new is being added to the archive now EXCEPT in digital format. If a business that relies on archive as a source of income is certain that digital archives are operable and maintainable, why can't an industry like archaeology accept the same.
Fact is that the biggest danger to our current archaeological archives is that they are NOT being actively curated to the point (particularly regarding fiche and film readers and reproductions of photo negatives) that in a very short time much of the data contained within will already be unusable or only useable at great expense. And don't get me started on how little investment is being put into converitng existing data into a digital accessible form that is usable via the Internet and not tied to attending one physical location. Even in some of our current county record offices, access is limited (for historical reasons perhaps) to one location often far removed from major centres of population or potential use, cos of earlier 'depositum' ideas rather than thinking of the most convenient place for researchers to access the material.
Fact is that the biggest danger to our current archaeological archives is that they are NOT being actively curated to the point (particularly regarding fiche and film readers and reproductions of photo negatives) that in a very short time much of the data contained within will already be unusable or only useable at great expense. And don't get me started on how little investment is being put into converitng existing data into a digital accessible form that is usable via the Internet and not tied to attending one physical location. Even in some of our current county record offices, access is limited (for historical reasons perhaps) to one location often far removed from major centres of population or potential use, cos of earlier 'depositum' ideas rather than thinking of the most convenient place for researchers to access the material.
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...