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Re: [ARSCLIST] When you die...
see end...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Malcolm Davidson" <malcolm_davidson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Don Cox stated,
> > Records or books stored in somebody's attic in a little town in the Mid
> > West could be safer in the long run than the vast central repositories
> > in big cities.
> >
> > Lots of copies all over the place is the best way to preserve something.
> >
> So what is required is a metadata repository listing all recordings ever
> made and then listings of where the masters and any copies exist (within
> reason) It could be set up along the lines of the Wikipedia model, where
> "Members", continually add to the listings.. We would also need to know
> about original releases, re-releases and so on. Unfortunately, one of the
> challenges is that humans never tend to consider the long term. We are too
> busy worrying about tomorrow, and the subsequent bottom line.
>
> Suddenly the last copy of a Russ Morgan & his Orchestra 78 rpm disc is lost
> and that's it! However is it the disc or the sound we need to keep? As has
> been opined out on this list many times, there is an intrinsic value to any
> original far beyond the content alone. Do we know what was recorded what is
> extant? (Exluding the LOC copies)
>
> To keep things manageable the starting point could be a list of endangered
> recordings. What is common place today, will be rare or non existant in
> 75 - 100 years from now. Often it is the lack of information about
> something which accelerates its demise.
>
> For example from the 1940's, take a random look at Tex Beneke a saxophonist
> with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and Crooner Dick Haymes, if someone were
> interested in either of these artists, there's the odd 78 for sale on eBay
> and quite a few web sites for them. However, there's no overarching,
> organised listing for either. CD's are available but of selections based
> upon the whims of the label owner.
>
> The collective knowledge and expertise within this group is staggering and
> is at odds with the cultural norms of today which focus on instant
> gratification and stimulation.
>
> A recent topic discussed the idea of infinite storage. Infinite storage,
> alas, doesn't come with perfect management tools, and this amount of storage
> requires deep analysis and wise assessments regarding the storage policies
> of data and any migration issues. Actual storage costs, even today are
> minimal compared to the cost of data ingestion, content access, system
> management and upkeep.
>
> Combining the existing knowledge of this, and other groups concerned with
> the past, and today's technology, results in great potential to protect our
> rich heritage. In an ideal world even more funding would be made
> avaialable, so it would happen in a structured fashion rather than in the
> adhoc way it is now.
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Don Cox" <doncox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2007 6:35 AM
> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] When you die...
>
>
> > On 27/10/07, Steven C. Barr(x) wrote:
> >
> >
> > > What happens if NOBODY elects to keep and preserve a copy of a given
> > > phonorecord, each owner thereof assuming "Well, somebody else will
> > > keep a copy...!" Then, "down the road a piece," someone happens to
> > > want a copy...either from some project or simply to hear it...! The
> > > party starts searching...and discovers that, apparently, NO copies
> > > of the recording have been preserved...either as artifacts, or as
> > > digital/analog copies of the sonic content...! Net result...no one
> > > will ever again know what that recording actually sounded like...?!
> > > I.e., one part of history is forever lost.
> > >
> > > Agreed that once the last of us strange folks who own and preserve
> > > ancient phonorecords because we enjoy listening to the contents
> > > thereof finally shuffle off this mortal coil, there may be no
> > > logical reason to preserve the phonorecord artifacts...BUT...
> > > there may well be future researchers/wothaveya that will want to
> > > know exactly what Grey Gull 1234(a) sounded like...for a variety
> > > of reasons...! Further, there may be others who want to know
> > > what it LOOKED like...FELT like...possibly even SMELLED like...?!
> > >
> > > Until we finally arrive at a technological point where digital
> > > copies of solid objects can be saved as (HUGE!) files and
> > > reliably reproduced therefrom, it will remain necessary to
> > > preserve at least ONE copy of each such artifact...
> > >
> > > After all, were it possible to preserve a digital copy of the
> > > U.S. Capitol, does that mean the original could/should be
> > > destroyed and replaced by a Wal-Mart...?!
> > >
> > The other thing to remember is that simply placing a copy in the Library
> > of Congress or the NY Public Library does not ensure its preservation.
> >
> > On 9/11, the cities targeted were Washington and New York. That is also
> > likely to be the case in any future attack, which could well be with
> nuclear
> > weapons. Who knows what disasters may happen in the next century?
> >
> > Records or books stored in somebody's attic in a little town in the Mid
> > West could be safer in the long run than the vast central repositories
> > in big cities.
> >
> > Lots of copies all over the place is the best way to preserve something.
> >
Okeh...!
First, the proposal for an "ultimate digital discography" in fact reflects
EXACTLY what is needed (in the discographic sense"...! It is rational to
assume that a finite number of phonorecords were pressed and issued during
the "78 era" (1890-1959)...so, references to extant copies of such records
as well as other data sources should make it possible to assemble such a
database...?!
As far as an archive of the documented phonorecords...it is very possible
that in some cases NO physical examples of the recordings still exist!
Consider that many of the phonorecords were pressed in quantities of
a few hundred (often ONE hundred!).
Keep in mind that historians all to often assume that the data-availability
of the 19th century is still the current situation...while NOT taking
advantage of the much-increased preservation of historical information...!
Steven C. Barr