Into the Future: On the Preservation of Knowledge in the Electronic Age

As we all know, there are only three things that are certain in this world: 1) death (though life-extension measures in the 21st century may change that), 2) taxes (unless, of course, you're rich) and 3) losing computer data (no exceptions). In this sequel to the award-winning Slow Fires: On the Preservation of the Human Record (1987), writer-director Terry Sanders examines the problems of preserving the world's knowledge in the face of rapid technological obsolescence. At NASA, records from the 1976 Viking mission are stored on magnetic 7-track tape reels which are riddled with errors due to decomposition. One major CD-ROM company spokesperson allows that the company's products will be incompatible with existing technology ten or twenty years down the road. And the World Wide Web, a vast repository of constantly shifting materials (including scholarly "papers" presented in no other format) is proving to be a monumental challenge to catalogers, let alone preservationists. Still, interviewees--which include Tim Berners-Lee (father of the World Wide Web), Michael Dertouzos (author of What Will Be) and Peter Norton (creator of Norton Utilities)--suggest that going back to paper is not the solution; we must bite the digital bullet, so to speak, but we should be forewarned (and therefore forearmed) with knowledge of the precarious nature of data in the age of rapidly evolving technology. A solid heads-up for librarians and, indeed, concerned citizens in general, Into the Future is highly recommended. [Note: the program is also available in a 30-minute version for $39.50.] Aud: H, C, P. (R. Pitman)