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Paper presented by Dr. Gülten S. Wagner, Senior Lecturer, Department of Library and Information Science, Edith Cowan University (Mount Lawley Campus) at the 2nd National Preservation Office Conference: Multimedia Preservation - Capturing the Rainbow, in Brisbane, 28-30 November 1995.
  • Abstract
  • Introduction
  • The Survey
  • The Survey Instrument
  • Findings
  • Challenges
  • Bibliography

Abstract

Preservation of materials in multi-media format is opening up new frontiers for preservation professionals. Research is an important tool for expanding the boundaries of knowledge and for navigating unchartered waters. This paper will examine the extent of on-going or planned research and development activities that are taking place at Australian university and state libraries and the National Library of Australia in the area of preservation of materials in multimedia/electronic formats. Findings will be based on a survey research which was recently conducted by the author.

Introduction

The sea of multimedia technology as a medium of conservation is indeed unchartered. For preservation professionals "evidence" is the main concern, not the medium. Yet, the medium is an important vehicle of access. Based on institutional objectives, demands for high access to rare documents/objects make this medium an important aspect of preservation. Thus, multimedia technology is becoming more and more a concern of preservation (Preservation of electronic formats & electronic formats for presentation. (1993).

"The research library of the future will use a variety of non-print media for the preservation and dissemination of recorded literature" (Bourke, 1990: 30). This prediction was made by the Research Libraries Group, Inc.

Research libraries began to exploit traditional document microphotography in earnest in the mid-1930s. Today they are beginning to evaluate other image capturing mechanisms. " (Bourke, 1990: 30). This is mainly because:

Many collections cannot be retained permanently because of their physical condition, so it has been necessary to use a transfer technology to preserve both the intellectual and graphic contents of the deteriorating documents. Traditionally, the technology of choice has been microfilming. (Bourke, 1990: 30)

as microfilm offers long-term image stability and established standards.

On the other hand, electronic media offers certain advantages, especially as the transfer technology. This point is well explained by Thomas A. Bourke, chief of the microforms division at the New York Public Library:

The advantages of electronic imaging over preservation microfilming include automated access to document images through links to online databases; image enhancement to overcome the problems of low contrast processes and variable contrast; greater potential for capturing color images; and the capability to segment different data types in a compound document, to process each segment separately with an algorithm optional for each type, and merge the processed segments. These advantages must be weighted against the advantages of microfilm, which include freedom from obsolescence, cost effectiveness, easier and speedier document image capture, established archival standards for camera masters, and long-term stability for service copies. (Bourke, 1990: 30)

It was decided to conduct a survey to examine the Australian experience. The main goal of this research survey was to take a quick snapshot of the extent of ongoing and planned research and development activities that are taking place at Australian state, university, and special libraries and other institutions in the area of preservation of materials in multimedia formats. The objectives of this project were:

  1. To identify some patterns of research or product development activities;
  2. To establish what types of media are preferred for preservation purposes.
  3. The third purpose of this survey was more pragmatic - To keep our students in two Master of Science (Information Science) by thesis and coursework courses informed about preservation activities using multimedia technologies in Australia.

The Survey

April 30th of this year (1995) a small survey was conducted by using a short mail questionnaire. Around 150 questionnaires were mailed to institutions randomly chosen from three membership directories:

  1. Australian Society of Archivists, Inc. (February, 1995) Members Handbook. O'Conner, ACT.
  2. Australian Society of Archivists, Inc. (1992) Directory of Archives in Australia. O'Conner, ACT.
  3. The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material, Inc. (1994) Membership Directory. Canberra, ACT.

I would like to apologise at this point if your institution was not included. The numbers were kept intentionally low due to resource restrictions. The aim was to take a snapshot which would be enlarged over time with subsequent surveys. More about this at the end of my paper.

Over 36 percent responded (discounting 9 that were returned due to change of address or personnel). This response is reasonably good, considering that no follow-up reminders were sent to prompt a better response:

  • 144 - > 52 or 36 % Responded
  • Out of this 36 %, 52 - > 27 or 52 % Reported on multimedia projects or planned developments.
  • The rest 25 or 48% returned nil responses.

The Survey Instrument

The survey instrument contained the following headings:

  • Data about the institution's preservation unit
  • Multimedia research activity or project summary - its purpose and expected outcomes
  • Data about any preservation resources developed in multimedia format
  • If there are no special research activities or projects in progress, details of any plans for future projects in this area.

One interesting result of this survey was that experimentation with product development has been preceding the conduct of basic research in multimedia as a vehicle for preservation!

Reports of current projects/developments and products are listed as follows:

  1. Library's photographic collection on CD-ROM disc for more effective retrieval, i.e., for better subject searching and enlargement capabilities
  2. Records management perspective - especially for records with high retrieval rates, e.g., annual reports, timetables, for better management of older storage media, such as microfiche, microfilm) or move to a "paperless office"
  3. Index to Australian Art Journals on CD-ROM
  4. Capturing music and video clips on CD-ROM and transferring financial archival data held on microfiche, microfilm and paper onto CD-ROM
  5. Removal of large financial and operational reports produced on the mainframe and stored in paper (for legal purposes) to CD-ROM
  6. Removal of invoices and other documents held in paper format (for legal purposes) to CD-ROM
  7. Creation of a Baptismal register for several churches based on records held by these churches from earliest times to the present
  8. Cataloguing and describing slide and photo collections; a non-degradable back-up system is being investigated. CD-ROM is too costly for this institution
  9. Heritage photographs, movie films onto a database then to CD-ROM. Some of these materials are 100 years old. Movies date from 1935- . Much of the material are rare and valuable. The problem is adequate funding!
  10. Creation of a CD-ROM containing black and white photos from local studies collection of 12,000 photographs. Cost recovery is planned by marketing these products
  11. Scanning newsletters for local news onto CD-ROM
  12. Creative Nation projects
  13. Aids/communicable diseases information resources on CD-ROM format
  14. Australian Biographical Dictionary - its CD-ROM version
  15. Australian Biographical Registry, 1981- a combined Who's Who and Who Was Who on CD-ROM
  16. At present, Australian War Memorial's photograph collection can be accessed by laser technology; it will be made available on CD-ROM for access, not for preservation purposes
  17. Microfiche format is still being used for keeping student/financial data, as they get downloaded from the computer
  18. Generating Victoria Records - classification and description of 160,000 files; CD-ROM output is planned
  19. Bright Sparcs - History and archives of science, technology and medicine in Australia for the World Wide Web and CD-ROM
  20. World Wide Web pages for the "Virtual Library" of the History of Australian Science, Technology and Medicine, 1994-
  21. Museum exhibits and collections, proposed technology is CD-ROM
  22. Australia on CD-ROM (Consortium project)
  23. Museum registry data is stored electronically
  24. Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery of Tasmania - A videodisc programme of 2700 images; these images can be printed by users for a small charge
  25. Local history collections are good candidates for transferring onto CD-ROM format
  26. CD-ROM of Australian Aboriginal material.

Findings

The existence of technology is not an argument for its use. "What is technologically feasible is not necessarily economically feasible. For these reasons, many library preservation administrators predict that electronic imaging will complement, not replace, preserving microfilming for preservation activities" (Bourke ,1990:34). These statements more or less sum up the general conclusions of the survey. More specific findings are as follows:

  1. Preferred "Transfer media" are CD-ROM and the Internet
  2. Accessibility of records is the driving force for their transference onto multimedia, not necessarily the issue of preservation
  3. Larger institutions are seeking partnership in consortiums for grants
  4. Cost-recovery is hoped, especially by smaller institutions
  5. The majority of the projects are planned and not currently in place (i.e., 17 vs 26)
  6. The majority of the projects are not listed in dissemination media such as Directories or Bibliographies
  7. Networking is seen as a means of storing memos, letters electronically
  8. Project duration is from one year to ten; some are on-going projects such as the Australian Dictionary of Biography on CD-ROM
  9. Funding levels - although not always provided- fell between $10,000 to $160,000
  10. All of the projects (current or planned) were reported as in-house developments

Challenges

Problem areas expressed on the questionnaires are similar to the ones found in the world literature; that is, there is a serious challenge for professionals in the age of information where the trend is to use multimedia as a transfer technology for access and retrieval of both intellectual and graphic contents of deteriorating documents/objects. So far the traditional choice has been archival (preserving) microfilming with its established standards (e.g., ANSI IT9.1-1988al Standards for Imaging Media -Film) and long-term stability of image. Multimedia formats as transfer technology are lacking in both of these for retention of records of permanent value in perpetuity. Research into the use of multimedia as a transfer medium of documents/objects of high value needs to take place at many levels involving many agents:

  • Establishment of international, national standards for multimedia
  • Research into multimedia format stability; data and image fidelity and resolution
  • More importantly research involving users of these materials
  • Research into the management of such collections - such as, selection of materials based on their rarity, uniqueness and special feature
  • Evenness of treatment - in the literature it is reported that art/humanities areas are less better served than the sciences, I am not very convinced about this point.
  • Which medium to choose? - CD-ROM? DCD? CD-I? The Internet?

I hope to mount a revised and simplified version of this questionnaire onto the Homepage of the Department of Library and Information Science, Edith Cowan University. A summary report will be provided from time to time. Please keep in touch.

The golden pot seems so near - yet so far!

Bibliography

Bourke, T. A. (1990). "Research libraries reassess document preservation technologies: how does electronic imaging stack up against micrographic?" Inform, Vol. 4, No. 8, September 1: 30-35.

Cunha, G.M. (1990). "Current trends in preservation research and development", American Archivist, vol. 53, No.2, Spring: 192-202.

Ideas for preservation fund raising: a support package for libraries and archives. (1990). Washington, D.C.: Commission on Preservation and Access.

5p. (Available from EDRS - Document number: ED 351025 IR 054220)

Maddux, B and Mannes, G. (1995). "Multimedia: a data-devouring disc: here comes the insatiable DVD, which holds more than 10 times as much information, video and sound as CD-ROMs", Time, vol. 146, no. 16, October 16:76.

Preservation of electronic formats & electronic formats for presentation. (1993). Fort Atkinson, Wis.: Highsmith Press.

Research Libraries Group, Inc. (1994). Final report of the archives preservation needs assessment field test conducted by members of the Research Libraries Group. Inc. Mountain View, Calif.: The Group.


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Last updated 27 February 1998