The problem with digitization is that there are layers of required
"objects" in order to make the digital image viewable.  First is the
software used for digitization.  Second is the storage medium.  Third is
the software able to read the digital files and convert them to
screen-readable images.  Fourth is the operating system of the computer
that can run #1 and 2.
Loss or incompatibility of any of these makes the files unreadable.  Just
as an example, so you saved everything on these CDs -- many computers now
don't come with CD drives and we are moving toward a time of "cloud
computing" when CD drives may not exist in ten years.  Digitization then
becomes a tool for access (at the present) and not a preservation medium.

I sympathize with the microfilm reader dilemma.   Some of my older Naval
retirees in the Pensacola area have been receiving their service records on
microfiche, and having trouble finding libraries that can print from
microfiche.  We are noting deterioration problems with some types of
microfilm, so yes, film does have problems.   But you know, in a worse
situation, you can still read a microfilm with a magnifying glass!!

Given these kinds of issues, preservation of the original records still
becomes paramount.  I do envision a day when many institutions will be
unable to read their older records (e.g. photographs, college transcripts,
etc.) because of the error of digitization or going with a 'vendor' who had
or could not upgrade their equipment.

Dean



Dean DeBolt, University Librarian (Professor)/University Archivist
University Archives and West Florida History Center
University of West Florida Library
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL  32514-5750
[log in to unmask];   850-474-2213

West Florida History Center is the largest and most comprehensive
history collection about Pensacola and the West Florida region.
http://libguides.uwf.edu/universityarchives

Digital collections can be found at:  http://archives.uwf.edu/Archon/
<http://143.88.66.76/Archon/>

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