This week on the radio program (yes, the honest-to-goodness, over-the-air radio program), a repeat of Spark 44, which originally aired last September. It features interviews with Brewster Kahle of the Internet Archive, photographer Ed Burtynsky, and more.
Podcast listeners like Raj will be happy to know that this repeat won’t appear in the regular podcast feed. For full show notes, and to listen/download, go to the blog post for Spark 44.
[Original image by cote]
I'm an archives student at McGill. I fully agree with Ed Burtynsky that the best means of preserving anything is not as a digital file of some kind, but at a physical object or an analog recording. Digital records (text, sound, etc.) rely upon both particular hardware and software which can read and interpret the digital file. If either the software or the hardware becomes obsolete, you can't read the record. Furthermore, while a skilled electrical engineer can rig together a turn table, it's really really hard to both rebuild a computer and then write the software needed to access a digital file.
While emulation could allow for older digital files to be read by newer computers, it requires that the records are first converted into a format which can be read by the newer hardware as well as a skilled computer programmer which can design the software which will emulate the original without introducing errors. If you don't manage to copy the record before the original hardware becomes obsolete, it won't matter how good the emulation software is, you won't be able to read the original. In addition, the production of emulation software usually requires an economic market for such software. If the market only consists of a small number of archivists, or just individuals who want to keep their old computer files, then it will likely not be produced.
In contrast, analog copies of images, text, sound, etc. are only really threatened by physical deterioration. A book can become moldy, its pages can become brittle, or it could be threatened by book-eating pests, but unless those things destroy it completely, you can still read it. Also, unlike digital records, physical records do not become inaccessible because of the introduction of errors. An LP can have a scratch, but that doesn't mean you can't listen to it. A WAV file with errors might not be readable by your music software.
As an archives student at a school which teaches in many of its classes why digital records are not stable in the long term, you would think that I could take a number of classes on how to preserve, conserve, and even restore physical records. Nope! Not one such class is offered. Lots of classes on they theory and processes of digital preservation, but nothing on analog preservation. So, I've had to design my own class for the Fall 2009 term. Working with one of the McGill archivists, I'm learning all about proper temperature and humidity control, caring for different kinds of paper, book binding, how to deal with mold, bugs, etc. All the stuff you need to be able to preserve physical documents for a really long time. I know such classes are offered in a few preservation programs across Canada, but I'm stuck at McGill. As someone who wants to work at a public archive, I want to know how to care for the physical records which make up most of such archives' existing holdings, as well as the majority of the material which will be received in the future. Because paper/physical records are not decreasing…they're increasing. The physical record is still seen as THE official version of many records, and the one which will be kept for posterity.
Oh, please keep in touch with us about this. Actually, we're doing something on the May 27th episode about this exact area. I'd love it if you'd give us your opinion/heads up/questions.
I am teaching a High School Film Studies option class and I loved your interview with Katherine Monk! I was planning on discussing the pros and cons of CGI with my class in the coming weeks and I caught your program while I was on the road this weekend… it will fit in perfectly. It looks as though I will need to add another CBC program to my list of regular podcasts. Keep up the good work.
Thanks, Jason. Occasionally we hear from educators who are using aspects of the show in their work. It makes us really happy!