Crashes along the super highway: the information continuum

Abstract

When the term ‘information superhighway’ was coined in the mid-1990s, it was a metaphor for both the speed with which information could be transmitted and accessed in electronic form, and the speed with which the technology for this transmission and access was changing. Optimism about increased access to and democratisation of information often belies the complications associated with internet protocol negotiations, commercialised product, rapid and often incompatible developments in hardware and software, and ultimately the transient and ephemeral nature of digitised and born-digital information. Add to this the complex technical issues relating to the digitised world, and it is clear that the speed of information technology (IT) developments along the superhighway can often lead to information fatalities. Part of the reason for such fatalities is the technical complications related to archiving and storing electronic data. However, while those on the ground wait for the IT technocrats to develop integrated guides and standards for the preservation of electronic records, important digital and born-digital records are being jeopardised or lost. While traditional, physical forms of record-keeping — paper, art and objects — may be lost due to poor preservation practices, there are nonetheless guidelines around their care and preservation that are clearly understood. Such guidelines include national and international record-keeping and archival standards, as well as agreed professional practices. More importantly, these guidelines are well documented and readily available, and they provide a good model for effective programs for the preservation of digitised and born-digital material that can be implemented in small organisations and communities. For example, simple conservation practices relating to choice of materials, environmental parameters for handling and storage, filing and record retrieval, and physical care are all relevant for preserving digital content.

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