Re: [ARSCLIST] Hard disk drives and DAT

[Karl Miller <karl.miller@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

David Seubert <seubert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
   
  ***I'm guessing that in a couple of years if you don't have a certified TDR you aren't going to get grants. 
   
  This is point I have already raised when reviewing grant applications. I have been reluctant to support an application for funding which does not include what I see to be a reasonable accomodation of the long term storage needs.  The sooner a collection of any size addresses the fundamental questions of infrastructure, the better off it will be. It will mean a realignment of priorities and funding, decisions that generally take place at the highest levels of an organization. 
   
  Long term digital storage is not an expertise often found in libraries. Further, libraries/archives do not have the salary structure or equipment infrastructures to effectively manage files, nor is it part of the training of librarians. I believe that long term digital storage, beyond the most simple requirements, demands the expertise of individuals trained in a highly technical profession.
   
  I  also believe the suggestions of shared responsibility and pooling of resources are viable solutions. For me, the only short term solution for a collection growing faster than it can reasonably manage its files, is to plan for, and implement a long term solution...and think exponentially, to at least the power of ten. While one can counter with the thought that what one can "reasonably manage" also grows exponentially, I believe that notion is, at best, problematic.
   
  Karl