Comments on: Digital Information 250 Years from Now http://information-innovation-exchange.com/2008/04/27/digital-information-250-years-from-now/ College of Information and Computer Science, Long Island University Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:38:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1 By: Carla http://information-innovation-exchange.com/2008/04/27/digital-information-250-years-from-now/#comment-318 Carla Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:32:22 +0000 http://information-innovation-exchange.com/2008/04/27/digital-information-250-years-from-now/#comment-318 Considering most books are written on acid based paper, even their permanence is widely debated. Many books will literally burn up due to the acid in the paper and the chemical interaction with air. As for the web, I think that what is truly unique must also be cared for what people will want to research in the future. Keeping a good archive physical or digital is likened often to keeping a well organized closet. Government agencies should also share some record managing duties. Making or having an electronic footprint on the web is one thing, maintaining it for the future is another interest entirely. The point is we don’t always even know what we should be archiving and saving. Agencies should ask themselves what researchers would be looking for 10, 20 and 30 years down the way. As for NARA hats off to them. I have always thought their task was daunting. Their mission is solid and should stand for a blanket within each agencies archiving. We are saving this stuff for scholars and most in the future will be interested in the role of government and big business, economics, and preservation of the environment as well as consumption habits and attitudes. Dynamic web pages need good spiders and bots to help them keep relevant hopefully in time the technology will get better. Considering most books are written on acid based paper, even their permanence is widely debated. Many books will literally burn up due to the acid in the paper and the chemical interaction with air.

As for the web, I think that what is truly unique must also be cared for what people will want to research in the future. Keeping a good archive physical or digital is likened often to keeping a well organized closet. Government agencies should also share some record managing duties. Making or having an electronic footprint on the web is one thing, maintaining it for the future is another interest entirely. The point is we don’t always even know what we should be archiving and saving. Agencies should ask themselves what researchers would be looking for 10, 20 and 30 years down the way.

As for NARA hats off to them. I have always thought their task was daunting. Their mission is solid and should stand for a blanket within each agencies archiving. We are saving this stuff for scholars and most in the future will be interested in the role of government and big business, economics, and preservation of the environment as well as consumption habits and attitudes.

Dynamic web pages need good spiders and bots to help them keep relevant hopefully in time the technology will get better.

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