I'm a big fan of dead-tree archiving, so I'm thinking that maybe I would print the documents and store them in hard copy? One of the issues we're trying to handle before it becomes a big problem is people coming to us with CDs of their photos for our archives. Clearly there will come a time when we don't receive as many hard copy materials as digital, so what to do? Right now, we've just been storing the few CDs we have received, but it's in the plan that I will transfer all of those images to our image server and manage them there. At least I can make duplicates of the images and save them that way. Perian Sully Collection Information and New Media Coordinator Judah L. Magnes Museum From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Richard Fields Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 9:24 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Archiving Author's Hard Drives On boingboing.net, I saw that Douglad Adams typewriter is for sale. This is an autographed typewriter that he wrote "The Hitchhikiers Guide to Galaxy " on. I(It can be yours for a cool $25,000!) As interesting as that is, a throw away line in the article caught my eye. "An archivist friend of mine tells me that libraries that once collected authors' papers are now storing their hard-drives." I had not heard this. I used to oversee an archival collection, and we had not moved in that direction. I can foreesee many problems with it (equipment compatibility, data integrity, space, etc.) It did cause me to wonder how museums and archives are handling this, since so few type anymore. I have seen nice exhibits of an author's desk with a typewriter, papers, and assorted items on display, but has the change in technology changed what we desire? Are museums looking to get the author's macbook and favorite coffee cup for a future exhibit? So many questions from a throwaway line! I would love to hear comments on the issue if you have the time. Oh, here is the link to the article http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/07/16/buy-the-typewriter-o.html ========================================================= 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). ========================================================= 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).