So far we have looked at various analog-based film materials, how they deteriorate, and the amount of work archivists put in in order to make them accessible to the public. But once an item is digitized, is it also preserved? Is digitization a new form of preservation?
Digitization is not an end-all solution to archival preservation – far from it in fact. Most people use digital storage as a short-term solution (often out of need because a piece of film might deteriorate beyond saving if they wait too long) or as a secondary means for providing access to information, and there’s a good reason why. Have you ever converted a CD into an .MP3 and found that there is a distinct chirping sound in the background of a song? That is a signal that information or data was lost when it was transferred into a new file format. The same thing occurs when you copy other digital files multiple times. The first generation of files derived from a preservation print may be of good quality after the first transfer, but every time that a file is copied and pasted into another format - information is at risk of being lost. Once a file is transferred, there is then the question of preserving this new digital format in such a way that the digital file remains in an archival state, which is a constant source of debate today.
And what about digital-born materials? Though there are still major directors using film and it is still being made by Kodak for that reason, most of our audiovisual material is currently being produced digitally. As of yet, there is no guaranteed preservation method for this material (LTO [Linear Tape-Open] tapes and similar technologies are the closest we have come, but most physical storage only has the ability to store digital information only last for up to 30 years[1]. There are always threats to this information if not handled properly, but because the damage cannot be seen with the naked eye it makes it that much harder to spot either technical or human-created damage and potential ways to repair it (if any). According to The Academy’s Science and Technology Council’s publication, The Digital Dilemma, the technical damage that can occur varies from various types of damage to the data or the machinery holding the data to the obsolescence of machinery. Human-caused damage can encompass a variety of things, commonly known as “operator error.”[2] The definition of this is fluid, but for the most part, backing up your information and keeping detailed records can help assuage the usually accidental damage caused by people or poor transfer technologies.
The challenge that faces archives in this regard is figuring out a way to integrate these technologies in a way that they can be consistently maintained for future use[3]. Transferring materials to up-to-date file formats is the most obvious way, but this takes the longest amount of time. Though there is still not a completely set standard for how to handle these issues, archivists and others who deal with digital media are working to find durable technologies to preserve this media.
Notes
[1] The Academy’s Science and Technology Council. “The Digital Dilemma: Strategic Issues in Archiving and Accessing Digital Motion Picture Materials.” (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nov. 2007). 35.
[2] The Academy. “The Digital Dilemma.” 37.
[3] The Academy. “The Digital Dilemma.” 3.
Digitization is not an end-all solution to archival preservation – far from it in fact. Most people use digital storage as a short-term solution (often out of need because a piece of film might deteriorate beyond saving if they wait too long) or as a secondary means for providing access to information, and there’s a good reason why. Have you ever converted a CD into an .MP3 and found that there is a distinct chirping sound in the background of a song? That is a signal that information or data was lost when it was transferred into a new file format. The same thing occurs when you copy other digital files multiple times. The first generation of files derived from a preservation print may be of good quality after the first transfer, but every time that a file is copied and pasted into another format - information is at risk of being lost. Once a file is transferred, there is then the question of preserving this new digital format in such a way that the digital file remains in an archival state, which is a constant source of debate today.
And what about digital-born materials? Though there are still major directors using film and it is still being made by Kodak for that reason, most of our audiovisual material is currently being produced digitally. As of yet, there is no guaranteed preservation method for this material (LTO [Linear Tape-Open] tapes and similar technologies are the closest we have come, but most physical storage only has the ability to store digital information only last for up to 30 years[1]. There are always threats to this information if not handled properly, but because the damage cannot be seen with the naked eye it makes it that much harder to spot either technical or human-created damage and potential ways to repair it (if any). According to The Academy’s Science and Technology Council’s publication, The Digital Dilemma, the technical damage that can occur varies from various types of damage to the data or the machinery holding the data to the obsolescence of machinery. Human-caused damage can encompass a variety of things, commonly known as “operator error.”[2] The definition of this is fluid, but for the most part, backing up your information and keeping detailed records can help assuage the usually accidental damage caused by people or poor transfer technologies.
The challenge that faces archives in this regard is figuring out a way to integrate these technologies in a way that they can be consistently maintained for future use[3]. Transferring materials to up-to-date file formats is the most obvious way, but this takes the longest amount of time. Though there is still not a completely set standard for how to handle these issues, archivists and others who deal with digital media are working to find durable technologies to preserve this media.
Notes
[1] The Academy’s Science and Technology Council. “The Digital Dilemma: Strategic Issues in Archiving and Accessing Digital Motion Picture Materials.” (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Nov. 2007). 35.
[2] The Academy. “The Digital Dilemma.” 37.
[3] The Academy. “The Digital Dilemma.” 3.