I agree ... We're actually creating a digitalization plan for our archives, but not in terms of storage. We view it as primarily a tool for access. We do have high-quality equipment, and "gold CDs" that the reps say last for 100 years, but we're not looking for these to be long-term storage. We'll still retain the original photographs and negatives in a climate-controlled vault, which is much more stable. But our preservation will be assisted by technology; patrons won't have to paw through photographs looking for just the right one; the photos will be in secure storage, and patrons will use photo CDs. And chances are their images will be printed out off the disk, which is fine by them. If anything, our digitalization efforts are bringing new life to our audio archives, as we digitalize some of our older transcription disks and reel-to-reel tapes. Finding equipment for playback of those is difficult nowadays, so we convert to CD, and let the patrons listen to that. We'll still keep all the disks and tapes (in fact, some archives actually convert their tapes and CDs backwards, to records. If you have the playback equipment, those can actually last longer!). But you'd be surprised how many people don't think of migrating the material to newer media over time. They assume that once it's done, it doesn't need to be worried about for decades. Perhaps not. But we've been educating many people in our own staff, and I think they're starting to realize that we always need to think of long-term preservation and access together. -- Christopher J. Dawson Curator of Urban and Industrial History Western Reserve Historical Society 10825 East Boulevard Cleveland, Ohio 44106 216-721-5722 x247 [log in to unmask] "History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are." -- David McCullough ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).