Thomas Dyer wrote: > >Who HASN'T lost something to the electronic void one way or another before >backing it up? Yes, we all have. But HASN'T the information always been the product of a few minutes writing or at most a single day's worth of data-entry? Surely no one is suggesting that catalog cards should be discarded after conversion to electronic form, and even if they were, why would it be done before backing up and checking the data? If people are worried about or have experienced this sort of complete loss they should be evaluating their systems and procedures - it isn't the hardware, software or even the electiricty to blame. Hard copy cards and files get destroyed accidentally as well, but they are much more likely to be unique than data files. It's a lot harder to photocopy your card file every night than it is to backup a computer. Even when cataloging directly to computer, the most that should be potentially lost is between a day's and a week's worth of work. How often are hard copy files duplicated and transfered off site? Melinda Serpa wrote: >Yes! Find this and read it! It is a wonderful bit of writing >and should give pause to the computerization fiends in our midst. I'm sorry but I have to laugh at a comment like this from someone who is obviously making use of the latest in computer technology herself! *************************************************************************** Bill Lazenby Tel: 708-260-8187 Director of Museum Operations Fax: 708-260-9298 The First Division Museum at Cantigny E-Mail: [log in to unmask] 1 South 151 Winfield Road http://www.xnet.com:80~cantigny/fdm.htm Wheaton, IL 60187-6097 USA ***************************************************************************