[ARSCLIST] My "CD-based" gripe--was: ARSC Awards -- Award criteria (was: Awards 2009 - Call for Nominations)

["Steven C. Barr" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Malcolm Rockwell" <malcolm@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Last year Mahina Piha Press published my "Hawaiian & Hawaiian Guitar 
> Records 1891 - 1960" and it was awarded the best discography of 2008 in 
> the category of Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research, by the 
> ARSC.
> It was published as a CD-ROM, and there are no current plans to publish in 
> print.
> So what really needs to be changed is the wording of the award parameters.
> Granted, including web-based discographic work may be loaded with 
> problems, but all relevant publication besides hard print should be 
> addressed by the ARCS discographic committee.
> Best regards,
Okeh...MY "gripe" is that virtually all CD "publishments" of discographic
works are in the form of either .pdf files or similar (word-processing")
digital form...!

IF digital "publication" was in the form of database file(s), the data
contained within could be easily and quickly searched and/or
re-sorted by the users! One CAN'T do that with a .pdf file...and
while it CAN be done in most word processors, this depends on
the user having the requisite program, as well as the requisite
knowledge of how to use it!

Almost 20 years ago, I acquired my first computer (an 80286,
which cost about $2,500.00...!) and my employer gave me a
copy of dBASE III+! I carefully typed in...BY HAND...the
Plaza matrix listings from Record Research, as well as the
Perfect and Champion lists (in part)! I quickly discovered
that I could do (well, sort of...?!) "instant" sorts of these files
to find the data on a given tune! I had been cataloguing my
records on 3x5 cards, which I stored in label/number order...
had I decided to put them in a different order, it would have
taken DAYS...!

Steven C. Barr