---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 6 Sep 2001 20:27:34 -0400
From: Albert Henderson <chessNIC@COMPUSERVE.COM>
Subject: Re: Disappearing microform titles (Dan Lester)

on Thu, 6 Sep 2001 Dan Lester <dan@riverofdata.com> wrote:

[snip]

> >         2. Will the web formats be 'perpetually' accessible (or at least
> > as perpetually accessible as microforms are?)?
>
> Someone has to assume the responsibility of archiving electronic
> documents.  So far, not many are stepping up to do that.  Archiving
> electronic documents is NOT harder, or less long term, than archiving
> print or film documents.

        Publishers' archives go to the libraries. No other
        group has the resources, training, and social status
        to archive important documents effectively.

        Archiving electronic documents is more difficult than
        other formats, as Arms points out in DIGITAL LIBRARIES
        (MIT Press. 2000). Digital formats become obsolete
        within a few years. Magnetic media simply fail. The
        popular compression formats (JPG, GIF) capture only
        a fraction of the information in the original art.

        If the library community cannot step up, much
        of knowledge and culture after the year 2000
        will be lost. The question is, as I see it, who
        cares about these things anymore?

        Best wishes,

Albert Henderson
Former Editor, PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY 1994-2000
<70244.1532@compuserve.com>