Code of ethics for video preservation

Walter Henry <whenry [at] lindy__stanford__edu> writes

>The Bay Area Video Coalition working group on ethical considerations
>in the preservation of video seeks information about any efforts to
>develop a code of ethics for this area of preservation.

Hopefully the findings of Bay Area Video Coalition working group on
ethical considerations will be reported here. Any new elements in
the principles of preservation of electronic media should be
encompassed in our approach to general, mixed media, library
preservation.

Some apparent new ethical elements for preservation of electronic
media include, (1) focus on the preservation of content, not
objects, (2) advent of digital conservation, treatment of copies not
originals, and (3) linkage of "image enhancement" with "image
integrity".

For example, on (3), a recent CPA report on digital imaging of
papyri discusses both image enhancement and image integrity, but
does not link the two. In the report project the imaging of papyri
involves enhancement techniques using multispectral imaging and
image-processing software. Obscuring overlays, palimpsests, poor
ink/background contrast and un-inked, incised texts are modified to
enhance legibility. On the image integrity side, digital time
stamping to verify the source and state of an image should include
verification of any such image enhancement. This linkage must be
developed by the preservation field. Further, technicians involved
with image enhancement must work with guidelines that assure
conservation, not modification, of content.

We should also consider the influence of the care of electronic
media on our approach to preservation of traditional media. Passive
care and sequestration of originals and restoration and delivery of
copies could provide an ethical approach for library preservation in
general.

Gary Frost
BookLab, Inc.

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:52
                  Distributed: Sunday, January 7, 1996
                        Message Id: cdl-9-52-003
                                  ***