Re: Libraries and archiving

[Rick Anderson <rick_anderson@uncg.edu>]

> I think the question is leadership in formating
> and storage.  Publisher produced solutions run the risk of the VHS/Beta
> shake-out.  

John makes an excellent point here.  The marketplace is driven by
efficiency and profit, not by library mission statements.  That's not a
bad thing in itself, but it does suggest that librarians would be wise to
take a leadership role in the development of durable archiving standards
for electronic formats.  If we act quickly, hopefully we can shape the
development of those standards while they're still malleable.

----------------------
Rick Anderson
Head Acquisitions Librarian
Jackson Library
UNC Greensboro
1000 Spring Garden St.
Greensboro, NC 27402-6175
PH (336) 334-5281
FX (336) 334-5399
rick_anderson@uncg.edu
http://www.uncg.edu/~r_anders

"Freudian apologists welcome his
objections as the Undead welcome
nightfall."
-- Frank Cioffi (on Adolf Grunbaum)