I continue to grin at these "paper is bad" "digital is good" round 
robins. Paper and microfilm are good for some things, digital 
(magnetic and optical) is good for some other things. Must it always 
be either or? The choice of excluding paper/microfilms for silly 
reasons is part of a quasi--theological, spiritual approach in which 
it really does not matter if you're wrong, it's your way or the 
highway.  And from that you get techno-bullies: "You idiot, don't you 
know that this technology is obsolete?" "Well, sir, actually, it's 
not." "Yes, it is; now drink this Cool aid with poison in it and be 
gone, you Luddite."

If you want long-term preservation, paper and monographic are for you 
at that need*--is 500 years long enough?.  They don't do the 
nifty--and useful--things that digital does quite well. So, 
puuuuuuleeeeeeeessssseeeeeeee, let each have its own worth and 
valuable contribution.  Information professional are suppose to be 
application analysts, not "defenders of the faith in Widgetry."

Bless you all; may we get world peace--starting now!

Mike

  At 04:12 PM 12/12/2005, you wrote:
>And in defense of digital:
>
>Costs:
>- cost of paper storage, particularly given the volume of information which
>must be maintained regardless of format
>- cost of peoples to find the paper, or call the offsite vendor and have
>records pulled and delivered
>- cost to scan the printed copy of a born-digital document
>
>Authenticity/security:
>- Electronic records carry dates inherently as part of metadata and can be
>almost always be digitally authenticated, particularly in combination with
>appropriate media
>- Ability to audit usage and track changes, if permitted, automatically
>
>Preservation and the futility of printing:
>- Email with attachments
>- Rich-media records such as VOIP, audio/video recordings
>- Dynamic records such as database-generated websites, databases, e-commerce
>- The cost to print to paper all the records that the State of California is
>concerned about losing
>
>I agree that there are concerns, but the final comment is just as dangerous
>to long-term preservation of information as is keeping it all in the file
>format du jour.
>
>My tuppence on a gorgeous Colorado Monday...<donning flame-proof faceguard>
>
>Jesse Wilkins
>CDIA+, EDP, LIT, ICP, ECMP
>IMERGE Consulting
>[log in to unmask]
>(303) 574-1455 office
>(303) 484-4142 fax
>Yahoo! IM: jessewilkins8511
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
>Of Larry Medina
>Sent: Monday, December 12, 2005 12:53 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: RAIN Article that seems pertinent to recent discussions...
>
>Check out the final comment...
>
>http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=ARCHIVE-12-11-05
>
>Another problem is authenticating digital documents. A paper record can be
>stamped with the date, and future researchers can verify its age by
>characteristics such as paper and type.
>That's no easy feat with an undated digital document. And it's hard to know
>whether an electronic record was altered after it was first created.
>....
>But digital archiving is "more costly than most people think," said James
>Jacobs, until recently a government information librarian at the University
>of California, San Diego.
>....
>"This is the unfunded mandate from hell," said Greenstein, referring to
>programs mandated by the state without accompanying money. "Where's the
>check?"
>....
>"It's something our legislators aren't really thinking about, and that's
>kind of alarming," Jacobs said.
>....
>As it stands, these solutions are theoretical. Today, the only surefire way
>to guarantee that a document will be available in the future is decidedly
>low-tech.
>"If we absolutely, positively want to ensure that we have the item in 150
>years," Jewell said, "our best preservation is print."
>
>List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
>Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
>
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