Ginny,

we are still discussing these factors. if you lived in Canada it has already
been legislated. If you lived in Australia you would find that they
developed a standard on clay tablets a long time ago and have already taken
them to the WC3 and ISO. ANSI and AIIM are blaking at adopting standards for
clay tablets. The vendors driving these orgs are claiming that managing clay
tablets is no different from managing papaer so no new standars are
required. The Archivists have taken the issue under advisement. A task force
has been formed, they aren't sure if information stored on tablets are
records. The archivists are maintaining that the tablets are artifacts and
thus under the purvue of the museums. The Europeans thing wee are a backward
lot and seriously out of our minds. They have handled clay tablets since
looting the empire some centuries ago.

keep in mind that mining the clay has raised serious issues with the EPA.
The clay tablet reduction Act  of 2006 being proposed by the current
administration will have unknown impact on the industry. California is
requiring all clay tablets used in the state be 30% sand. The Archivists are
going nuts over this. They believe the increased sand content will
negatively impact the long term endurance of the medium. The Canadians
maintain that their requirements that all clay tablets be manufactured
according to Hamurabi's Code protects the tablets.

Chris Flynn

-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf
Of Jones, Virginia
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 9:42 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [RM] A Lesson in Records Management - now a little OT


And what if one drops the tablet while standing on the sacrificial rock?
Is there a standard for how to handle clay tablets while standing on
hard surfaces?  Should more than one copy be scribed in case one must
read from the tablet while standing on a hard surface or in case of
flood and standing water for a period of time prior to complete setting
of the clay?  Is there a manufacturing standard regarding the ratio of
straw to clay to water and specific baking time?  Is there a standard
regarding the care and feeding of clay tablets to prevent cracking or
breaking while in carriage or in storage?  Are there preferred storage
environmental requirements equating to a particular LE?  What about the
recommended stylus point and clay consistency during scribing to insure
legibility?

8-)

Ginny Jones
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI)
Records Manager
Information Technology Division
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities
Newport News, VA
[log in to unmask]

-----Original Message-----
From: Records Management Program [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Cunningham, Ray
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 12:21 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [RM] A Lesson in Records Management

Yes but can I trust the data in the baking process? Could not there be
some alteration or degradation in the baking process?

Ray

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