Will the archives of our future resemble Babel’s library imagined by Borges? A never-ending library, containing all existing books, but in which the research of a consistent and complete text might be impossible? The mere accumulation of documents, made easier by the digital writing techniques, could actually make such a paradox become a reality. We are aware that, if compared with that of paper, the obsolescence of digital memory is much quicker, and that the rapid changes in hardware and software prevent us from using a lot of archived data. This volume, "Digital memory: risks and emergencies", illustrates the features that might cause emergencies and risks to long-term conservation. Each of the archives, spanning different geographical areas and more than thirty years, that have at some point risked total or partial loss, is relevant for the analysis of important cultural and technological problems.
Digital Memory: Risks and Emergencies
RUGGIERO, ALESSANDRA
2005-01-01
Abstract
Will the archives of our future resemble Babel’s library imagined by Borges? A never-ending library, containing all existing books, but in which the research of a consistent and complete text might be impossible? The mere accumulation of documents, made easier by the digital writing techniques, could actually make such a paradox become a reality. We are aware that, if compared with that of paper, the obsolescence of digital memory is much quicker, and that the rapid changes in hardware and software prevent us from using a lot of archived data. This volume, "Digital memory: risks and emergencies", illustrates the features that might cause emergencies and risks to long-term conservation. Each of the archives, spanning different geographical areas and more than thirty years, that have at some point risked total or partial loss, is relevant for the analysis of important cultural and technological problems.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
