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On Sun, 28 Mar 2004, John Spencer wrote:

> It does underscore the fact that digital archives will have routine file
> maintenance as part of their workflow.

Which for me is my fundamental concern. Not only is it the question of
refreshing files, but the concerns over being able to read files in the
future. While it seems that these days, such concerns are handled on a
regularized basis, is that a given?

First there are the considerable costs for reformatting, then there are
costs for maintaining the digital archives. It makes archives more subject
to the systems people. While the current storage costs seem relatively
nominal, and the innovations in storage technologies can often reduce the
costs, I still wonder about the long term ramifications when we start
building up substantially greater numbers of files done with higher
resolution. While it doesn't seem practical to consider any other modality
for storage, I just wonder what the future might hold.

Any crystal ball gazers out there?

Karl