If there is one thing that has really caused the explosion of digital preservation yet is something that nobody ever talks about, it would have to be the introduction of the universal serial bus standard. The USB standard is one that is on every new computer sold. You probably already know where the USB ports on your computer are because you typically use them today for plugging in your mouse and keyboard but they have a far more direct relationship with the increase in popularity of mass digital preservation. (more…)
April 7, 2010
The Reality of Digital Preservation
Digital preservation or backing up data for future access has been increasingly challenging for the past few years. While technology has advanced in a very fast pace in terms of storage capabilities, these advances are actually placing the data collected in the past at risk. The information gathered used technologies that are no longer used today. A good example is the data stored in a floppy disk. This type of storage device was very useful from mid to late 90s. Today, you’ll be required to purchase a separate hardware just to read a floppy disk. The common mass-storage device as of this writing is the portable hard drive but it can be easily replaced after a decade with a new hardware. (more…)