There was certainly no scarcity of information in Roy Rosenzweig’s Scarcity or Abundance? Preserving the Past in a Digital Age! I found the amount of information somewhat overwhelming, but thoughtfully and adequately played out. This essay is one I think any scholar can benefit from reading, encouraging scholars to “keep up with the times” of technology, and facing the reality of the needs/benefits of digitization and also difficulties. Below are a few things I took away from the article.
I found it was interesting that the author brought up how fear of loss is of much concern to historians and others preserving digital data, when the bigger issue is that digitally recorded materials may no longer be readable in the future.
Here is the key difference from the paper era: we need to take action now because digital items very quickly become unreadable, or recoverable only at great expense….The greatest concern is not over what has already been lost but what historians in fifty years may find that they can’t read.
Due to changes in hardware/software types often no longer support the documents, the ones and zeros used to compose the document do not mean anything without the proper support system to run them. Aside from this, damage to a single bit will make the entire file useless.
Rosenzweig mention several other issues we have addressed in class, specifically in regard to authenticity and use. I agree there need to be measures for authenticity and integrity management, but who should this responsibility be left to? As if public access wasn’t enough of an issue, I think fear that programs such as Google may become greedy and start charging for their services is a valid concern. However, I’m not sure this would actually take place. While companies certainly have the ability to make that decision I think it would not be in their best interest to do so. People will do whatever they can to get around paying services, so if there is a free option available they will take it.
It came as somewhat of a surprise that most historians are hesitant to become an active producer and user of digitized materials. Information Technology is a relatively new field in comparison to others, such as the humanities and social sciences. I think it would be a good idea implement continuing education requirements for professors and corporations. This would increase knowledge of such systems and give individuals the means needed to get involved in digitization. At this point in time it appears there is not enough focus or direction placed in such systems, which makes it difficult for digital preservation to take place.
It is clear that more attention needs to be focused on preserving digital data, by individuals, scholars, corporations, and regulatory systems. There is a lot of work left to be done. This is a project that will require people from many fields and places to work together. International conflicts over the flow/usability of information are likely to ensue and we need to be prepared to address these issues, as well as the many anticipated.
