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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