Bill,
Thanks so much for the insightful information.
Deborah
----- Original Message -----
From: "Roach, Bill J." <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, October 25, 2006 9:38 pm
Subject: Re: Question
> Deborah,
>
> There are a number of issues that will have to be dealt with for
> electronic records to be accessible for 50 years. All of the
> parts and
> pieces remind me of an old nursery rhyme.
>
> Included in the mix is the software needed to interpret the bits and
> bytes that are the building blocks of the records. Most software
> programs have only a limited ability to use older versions.
> Additionally, there will be very few of today's software solutions
> available even 10-15 years from now. In the life of software, 50
> yearsis an eternity.
>
> The second item is the hardware. Will we have the necessary
> hardware to
> run the software needed to access the records. While hardware doesn't
> change as fast as software, it does change. The 8" floppies used
> by IBM
> were replaced by the 5 1/4 models, they 3 1/2" then CD, CDR, CDRW,
> and a
> Baskins-Robbins assortment of DVD formats.
>
> And we shouldn't forget about the media. While media is getting
> better,retaining readable media for 50 years is a crapshoot.
> While the media
> itself may hold up very well in controlled conditions, much of
> what is
> being retained is being stored haphazardly and subject to the
> rigors of
> heat, cold, humidity and a variety of nasty volatile chemicals. And
> then there are the bugs, tropical ones that have found that the
> perfectmidnight snack is the reflective layer on your favorite CD.
>
> And finally, there is the formats. We have data today that is in
> pristine condition. Unfortunately for the folks that need to
> access it,
> the company that created the software is no more and the hardware
> it ran
> on is no longer available. To make it worse, the company was
> successfulin convincing the solution purchaser that the best
> approach was to leave
> the data in its native, highly proprietary format.
>
> The bottom line is the nursery rhyme: This is the code, that runs
> on the
> box, the uses the disk, to access the files, so they can be viewed,
> after 50 years, by folks in the house that Jack built.
>
> If any one of the pieces doesn't work, Jack's 50th celebration
> will be a
> bust. And remember, 50 years in an archives is but a very thin
> slice of
> history. How will the records be accessed a thousand years from now?
>
> Bill R
>
> Bill Roach, CRM
> Enterprise EDMS Coordinator
> State of North Dakota
> ITD/Records Management
> 701-328-3589
>
>
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