Information Research Weblog

We're all aware, I imagine, of the problem, or potential problem of the unknown life of digitally stored information. An interesting case study is that of the BBC Domesday Project, which used interactive video-discs and the BBC micro-computer. Both technologies are now obsolete. It has to be remembered that this was a very early effort to apply the new information technologies to the accumulation and presentation of a massive amount of information - the date was 1986.

Thanks to Current Cites, my attention was drawn to a short paper on the subject in the Research Libraries Group 'Diginews'. The Camileon project is an Anglo-American collaboration (rather more positive than a recent manifestation), involving the Universities of Leeds and Michigan, aimed at developing strategies for the long-term preservation of digital materials. The Domesday Project constituted a test case for its efforts. The problem has been largely solved by the use of software emulation but:

Sadly, it is unlikely that Domesday will become available to the general public unless the IPR problems can be solved.