1. "And what if one drops the tablet while standing on the sacrificial rock?" Has the record passed it official retention schedule ? Have you obtained permission from the appropriate authority for destroying this record ? 2. "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?" Backup ("convenience") copies are always good to have as insurance. The clay, once baked, is impervious to standing water. 3. "Is there a manufacturing standard regarding the ratio of straw to clay to water and specific baking time?" Straw is not to be mixed with clay used for record-keeping tablets (that manufacturing technique is used for construction brick). Optimum baking times have not yet been established; that is one of the standards to be developed. 4. "Is there a standard regarding the care and feeding of clay tablets to prevent cracking or breaking while in carriage or in storage?" No; that is also one of the standards to be developed. See also question 5. 5. "Are there preferred storage environmental requirements equating to a particular LE?" No; that is also one of the standards to be developed. Experience shows an extremely dry environment (< 15% RH) is successful in obtaining an LE in excess of 2,000 years. 6. "What about the recommended stylus point and clay consistency during scribing to insure legibility?" A wedge stylus was used to print cuneiform text onto clay tablets. Check : possible requirement to convert all materials to cuneiform (which version ?). This is also one of the standards to be developed. Have a thoughtful weekend. Fred. =============================== Frederic J. Grevin Director, Records and Archives Management The City of New York Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) 59-17 Junction Blvd., 11th floor Flushing, NY 11373-5108 E-mail: [log in to unmask] Phone: (718) 595-4372 Fax: (718) 595-4387 -----Original Message----- From: Jones, Virginia [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 12:42 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 List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance