By Stevie Smith Jul 4, 2007, 13:40 GMT
As advances in computer technology progress at a seemingly relentless pace, the head of the UK’s National Archives has revealed her growing concerns regarding the ever-declining accessibility of older digital file formats and the possible ramifications that could have.
More specifically, Natalie Ceeney has said that as more advanced computer systems are introduced into society the likelihood of them being compatible with older data file formats recedes, which could see the loss of "years of critical knowledge," reports the BBC.
Ceeney voiced her passionate belief at the recent launch of a new partnership between the National Archives and American software giant Microsoft to make sure that the archives remain compatible with the more grey-edged file formats. From Microsoft’s standpoint, UK managing director Gordon Frazer offered that the partnership would help avoid the coming of a "digital dark age" while also adding that more work is required to ensure that "legacy file formats" can be both read and edited in the future.
"Historically within the IT industry, the prevailing trend was for proprietary file formats. We have worked very hard to embrace open standards, specifically in the area of file formats," said Frazer regarding the gathered lack of compatibility between proprietary software programs created by different companies, which has now taken its toll on the Archives.
"If you put paper on shelves, it's pretty certain it is going to be there in a hundred years," Ceeney went on to say. "If you stored something on a floppy disc just three or four years ago, you'd have a hard time finding a modern computer capable of opening it."
The UK’s National Archives, which are based in Surrey, presently contain some 900 years of written content, while maintaining in excess of 580TB (terabytes) of digital data stored in older file formats no longer applicable at a commercial level. And, that lack of availability in host programs for older files is already causing losses in the Archives’ collection, said Ceeney.
"We are starting to find an awful lot of cases of what has been lost. What we have got to make sure is that it doesn't get any worse," she warned. "We cannot afford to let digital assets being created today disappear."
Somewhat worryingly, the British Library has conducted research that shows the current lack of digital preservation is costing Europe around €3 billion in business value every year.
page: 1
superchickenJul 24th, 2007 - 14:41:23
Utter nonsense. Paper rots and potentially burns.
Report this comment
Your Talkback on this Story