Digital Media Obsolescence
Obsolescence and Digital Media: Mitigating Risks and Planning for Long-term Stability
Annotations by Jennifer Sigouin
Definition of Project
With technology rapidly changing and new digital storage formats emerging, this bibliography focuses on literature from 2010 to present that examines the challenges digital preservationists face as older digital storage formats are pushed toward obsolescence. Topics covered in the literature include current best practices in relation to preserving obsolete media, how to plan for obsolescence, and how to maintain access to the information contained in aging and obsolete formats.
Annotations
Barateiro, J., Antunes, G., Freitas, F. & Borbinha, J. (2010). Designing digital preservation solutions: a risk management-based approach. International Journal of Digital Curation, 5(1), 4-17. Retrieved from http://www.ijdc.net/article/view/143/205
In this article the authors discuss obsolescence as part of their risk management-based approach to digital preservation. Their proposed framework is a three-step process: determine digital preservation requirements, identify vulnerabilities and threats, and address those threats. The authors created a taxonomy that categorizes risk factors as vulnerabilities and threats. Media obsolescence, software obsolescence, and hardware obsolescence fall under the vulnerabilities category in the taxonomy. Threats that were included in the taxonomy consist of disasters, attacks, management, and legislation. These vulnerabilities and threats are then included in a table in which each issue is mapped to the preservation techniques that can help reduce those risks, as well as to techniques that are required for recovery should data be lost due to these factors. For instance, emulation and migration are suggested to reduce the risks associated with media obsolescence, while refreshing and diversity of media are suggested to reduce the risks that come with hardware obsolescence. The article and supporting table provide a clear analysis of how to manage specific risks during the digital preservation process.
Deljanin, S. (2012). Digital obsolescence. INFOtheca-Journal of Informatics & Librarianship, 13(1), 43-53.
In this examination of digital obsolescence the author asks whether it is possible to escape the “digital dark age” with current preservation practices. Citing a few culturally significant examples of major data loss due to obsolescence, Deljanin make a strong case for the need to develop a more long-term solution to preserving digital media. The article discusses specific types of digital obsolescence and provides a thorough overview of the advantages and disadvantages of several different preservation strategies. However, the author concludes that these strategies aren’t permanent solutions, and escaping from the “digital dark age” might not be possible given the temporariness of current digital storage media. Deljanin presents a somewhat bleak outlook, suggesting that “almost all of our knowledge recorded in digital form cannot last even for our lifetimes,” but she does express hope that new technologies — or perhaps new developments in tried and true formats like microfilm — could provide more durable options in years to come.
Duretec, K., & Becker, C. (2017). Format technology lifecycle analysis. Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, 68(10), 2484–2500.
Citing the absence of known systems to predict obsolescence of digital formats, the authors propose a method for tracking a format’s evolution by applying diffusion theory and, more specifically, the Bass diffusion model. The article is data-heavy, but it thoroughly summarizes their methodology, which uses longitudinal data to analyze the lifecycle of technology formats, identify patterns and predict whether use of a format is growing, declining or nearing obsolescence. Aspects of this model are further explained through a series of charts and diagrams, including graphs that illustrate the adoption rate of well-known formats, including PDF, WordPerfect, MS Word, and Adobe Postscript, over a 30-year period. The authors conclude that the Bass model proved to be an effective, reliable, and precise method for determining “how popularity of format technologies evolves over time”
Durno, J. (2016). Digital archaeology and/or forensics: Working with floppy disks from the 1980s. Code4Lib Journal, 34(2016-10-25). Retrieved from https://journal.code4lib.org/articles/11986
As obsolete media and file formats continue to make their way into libraries and archives, University of Victoria Head of Library Systems John Durno provides a guide to techniques that used to recover data on 5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy disks from a variety of antiquated systems. The floppy disks are a unique problem for archives, as there was far less standardization of operating systems, platforms, and applications in the 1980s when these disks were created. Durno discusses disk imaging, file extraction, and the hardware needed for this process. He presents step-by-step case studies of various disks that he recovered data from, and he provides information on automating the process, rendering files on modern systems, and troubleshooting for damaged or otherwise problematic disks. Durno also outlines the advantages of using these strategies as opposed to disk imaging toolkits found in Archivematica and BitCurator, particularly for 1980s floppy disks.
Goldman, B. (2014). The tail wagging the dog: challenges of working with obsolete computer media. MAC Newsletter, 42(1), 26-27. Retrieved from https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/macnewsletter/vol42/iss1/1
This overview of a particularly challenging project by Penn State Special Collections makes a solid case for the need for collaboration across institutions when recovering data files from obsolete media formats. Goldman discusses the “trials and tribulations” that the Penn State staff dealt with in their effort to read a collection of 27 Amstrad computer disks. The disks were designed for use with a 1980s Amstrad computer — a somewhat obscure, and now obsolete, device that was popular for a brief time in Europe. Staff determined that finding and purchasing an Amstrad computer wasn’t worth the investment of time and resources. However, the decision to outsource the task of reading the disks came with other unexpected challenges. The experience, Goldman explains, illustrates the need for a “collaborative framework” — including a formal registry of hardware and software infrastructure — among archival institutions, in order to successfully recover legacy data files.
Graf, R., Ryan, H., Houzanme, T., & Gordea, S. (2017). A decision support system to facilitate file format selection for digital preservation. Libellarium: Journal for the Research of Writing, Books, and Cultural Heritage Institutions, 9(2), 267-274. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15291/libellarium.v9i2.274
In this article, losing access to data due to format obsolescence is described as a “fact of life,” so the authors propose a digital preservation solution that addresses both “time efficiency and resistance to technological changes.” The authors suggest creating institute-specific risk profiles, developed in part by a combination of data-mining methods, expert knowledge and “automatically aggregated format metadata.” Document categories would be assigned a list of preferred formats to be migrated to, and institutions would be able to assess how these formats — and associated risks — relate to their own digital assets and file formats. The article also includes flowcharts that further explain the workflow for the institutional selection of file formats and for the recommendation of institutional file formats.
Graf, R. & Gordea, S. (2014). A model for format endangerment analysis using fuzzy logic. In Proceedings of the 11th International Conference on Digital Preservation (iPres2014), Melbourne, Australia (160-168). Melbourne: State Library of Victoria.
This conference paper explains a proposed risk assessment model that uses fuzzy logic, rather than absolute values, to create metrics regarding a digital file format’s level of endangerment. By measuring a “fuzzy” set of factors customized to an individual institution’s preferences, this system can help determine risk factors and risk management plans that are specific to that institution or repository. The model also addresses “institutional obsolescence,” in which a format isn’t necessarily obsolete, but a particular institution no longer has the capability to render the format with its own hardware. Additionally, the model’s detailed comparison of file formats can assess which formats are best suited for long-term preservation.
Houghton, B. (2016). Preservation challenges in the digital age. D-Lib Magazine, 22(7/8). Retrieved from http://dlib.org/dlib/july16/houghton/07houghton.html
This article provides an overview of some of the most significant challenges in digital preservation during a time when digital media has become increasingly pervasive. The author touches on several main factors, including data volumes, archivability, multiplicities, hardware, storage, software, metadata, legalities, privacy, and resourcing. Her approach to file format obsolescence is that it is not as serious a threat as previously believed several years prior. While issues like obsolete proprietary formats and outdated hardware will still exist, current practices, such as emulation, cloud storage, and open source software are helping to improve media sustainability. The author also notes that, due to the shorter lifespan of digital media, ongoing maintenance is crucial throughout a digital resource’s lifecycle to prevent losing data well before formats become obsolete.
Levi, C. (2011). Five hundred 5.25-inch discs and one (finicky) machine: A report on a legacy e-records pilot project at the Archives of Ontario. Archivaria, (72), 239–246.
Archivist Charles Levi discusses the legacy electronic media pilot project at the Archives of Ontario from 2008 to 2010. The Archives of Ontario was tasked with the appraisal and archiving of government records stored on hundreds of 3.5-inch and 5.25-inch floppy disks, which presented significant obstacles. The 5.25-inch disks — and the hardware needed to read them — were reaching obsolescence, more so than when the Archives of Ontario undertook a similar project less than 10 years prior. Finding a machine capable of reading these disks was not an easy endeavor, but the Archives of Ontario managed to obtain an old computer that belonged to a staff member’s relative. Levi notes that in many cases, archivists are not only left searching for obsolete hardware, but they are also faced with limited online resources and expertise on how to use obsolete machinery and antiquated formats. In addition, Levi also delves into the challenges of conversion, reformatting and migration of these 5.25-inch disks, providing a real-world view of the problems associated with obsolete media.
Trifunovic, B. (2013). The public-private partnership case study in digitization of audiovisual heritage. OCLC Systems & Services: International digital library perspectives, 29(1), 30-36. doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/10650751311294537
This article discusses how the Public Library in Cacak, Serbia, took a collaborative approach to preserving culturally significant information that either needed to be digitized or only existed in obsolete media formats. In an effort to save audiovisual material related to local heritage, the Public Library’s Digitization Center proposed a public-private partnership with local media organizations, including radio and television stations, to digitize archives and to migrate obsolete digital media to more current formats. Through the partnership, the media organizations would provide the library with rights to digitize or migrate their materials and make the digital resources and associated metadata accessible through the library’s archives. The author notes that the arrangement has had a positive impact on both the Public Library and on the media organizations. The library’s digital collection has grown significantly and now includes around 1,500 hours of digitized audio and visual resources that were once endangered, while the media organizations now have more organized, accessible archives — all preserved by the library’s professionals at little to no cost to the media organizations. This innovative, win-win approach could serve as a guide to other information organizations that aim to rescue culturally or historically important media from obsolescence.
