The E-Sylum:  Volume 5, Number 49, December 8, 2002, Article 13

DIGITAL DOMESDAY BOOK SALVAGED

  Dave Bowers and others have warned of the dangers of
  over-reliance on newfangled media as a way to preserve
  information for the future.   An article from the BBC News
  provides a fine example of why we're seeking to create
  a hardcopy version of the electronic E-Sylum.  Here's
  how the December 2, 2002 NewsScan Daily summarized
  the article, along with a link to the full text:

  "The BBC's computer-based, multimedia version of the
  famed Domesday Book has received a new lease on life,
  thanks to scientists at Leeds University and the University of
  Michigan, who have found a way to access the archive stored
  on 1980s-era interactive video discs. To unlock the
  now-obsolete technology, the Camileon project teams have
  developed software that emulates the Acorn Microcomputer
  system and the video disc player.

  "BBC Domesday has become a classic example of the
  dangers facing our digital heritage," says project manager
  Paul Wheatley. "But it must be remembered that time is of
  the essence. We must invest wisely in developing an
  infrastructure to preserve our digital records before it is too
  late. We must not make the mistake of thinking that recording
  on a long-lived medium gives us meaningful preservation."

  The information on the Domesday discs has been
  inaccessible for 16 years. By contrast, the original
  Domesday Book, an inventory of England compiled in
  1086 by Norman monks, is in fine condition in a London
  Public Record Office."

  http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2534391.stm

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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