At 07:26 AM 10/4/2005, Jerome Hartke wrote:
>Just a reminder that archivists are utilizing storage products that are
>designed and manufactured for the mass market. This has two advantages.
>First, cost is very low because of the very large consumer market. Second,
>compatibility is high because of the very large installed base.
>
>When professional users are given the cost of products tailored for their
>needs, the usual response is that the high cost cannot be justified because
>of the ready availability of cheap, consumer grade discs and drives.
>Gentlemen, we usually get what we pay for.
>
>Jerry
>Media Sciences, Inc.
Hello, Jerry,
While this is true now, we have a history that doesn't support this
change of cost model.
When analog tape recording became widespread in the late 1940s, the
tape that was commonly available, Scotch 111, was widely used and
sold for both professional and amateur uses.
Consumer quality tape became available, but the cost savings were not
substantial. That didn't stop purchasing agents and private
individuals from purchasing this tape for archival use -- at least
for oral histories. On the other hand, professional recording tape
(primarily Ampex, but other brands also suffered) suffered from
binder breakdown. Also, as we discussed previously here, Kodak tape
(a trusted name) has not fared well.
I think multiple gold CD-R copies might be as safe a storage as we
have available today if the owner is not willing to invest in a
managed digital archive. It's certainly better to generate these now
than to keep the only copy on Kodak or some store brand tape (which
is what I'm copying right now).
Cheers,
Richard
Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask]
Vignettes
Media web: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/
Aurora, Ontario, Canada (905) 713 6733 1-877-TAPE-FIX
Detailed contact information: http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm
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