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On 30/03/04, [log in to unmask] wrote: > This is what I have a hard time understanding. To me the very essence > of an archive is the unchanging nature of it's contents. The current > thinking in audio-video preservation is that the medium must be > constantly changed in format to match the current technology. > > This is an active process. Even neglecting the possibility of human > error and equipment failures, it requires a constant approval of > operating funds to assure continuity of the process. There will be no > discoveries of long lost documents in a neglected warehouse or attic. When documents were copied by hand, many errors crept in. The pictures could become almost unrecognisable (look at the illustrations in a bestiary). Even with a system of error correction, as was used by Indian astronomers (whose documents had to be continuously replaced because of the climate), mistakes are made and whole documents lost. Regards -- Don Cox [log in to unmask]