Digital Futures: Strategies for the Information Age
2002; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 28; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/s0098-7913(02)00231-9
ISSN1879-095X
Autores Tópico(s)ICT Impact and Policies
ResumoClick to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes1 The concept of a paradigm shift derives from the work of Thomas Kuhn on the nature of scientific revolutions. His variable use of the concept has almost nothing to do with the application made by librarians writing about automation and digital publishing. Kuhn's explication of the concept is very like that of his mentor James B. Conant, as it appears in the latter's popular works on the nature and history of science.2 These remarks are from a panel discussion entitled "The Future of Anglo-American Cataloging Rules, presented on March 27, 1999 at the Art Libraries Society of North America, Annual Conference, Vancouver, BC, http://www.arlisna.org/Conf_1999/aacr2.htm (27 August 2002).3 Some of the dangers inherent in automated metadata harvesting are amusingly surveyed by Cory Doctorow at http://www.well.com/~doctorow/metacrap.htm#0 (27 August 2002).4 The Phantom Tollbooth, written by Juster Norton and illustrated by Jules Feiffer, was published in 1961 (New York: Random House) and has had numerous reprintings.5 The authors point out, for example, that we have come a long way in understanding the durability of digital storage media. CD-R (compact disc–recordable) may actually turn out to be fairly suitable for long-term preservation if managed carefully. The longevity of CD-R disks appears to be affected largely by three factors: substrate material, reflective surface material, and dye. Oxidation, substrate degradation, loss of reflectivity, and other causes of aging are all implicated in data loss over time on CD-R media. Notwithstanding, there have been significant improvements in both design and construction of CD-R media that permit some confidence in the format for archival storage and preservation of electronic data. Longevity estimates for recorded disks now range from one hundred years upwards if storage conditions are controlled and stable. We do not have anything like this kind of real-world experience with the technology. Estimates of longevity are entirely a matter of reaction to accelerated aging tests, not actual historical conditions. A very helpful discussion of these and related issues can be found in Susan S. Lazinger's Digital Preservation and Metadata (Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 2001) and in various publications of the Council on Library and Information Resources.
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