Re: [ARSCLIST] Fw: [ARSCLIST] Gold CDs

["Peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> [mailto:ARSCLIST@xxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Joe_Iraci@xxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2004 1:54 PM
> To: ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Fw: [ARSCLIST] Gold CDs
>
>
> "... and, most significantly, on storage and handling."
>
> Storage and handling, of course are major elements in any longevity
> discussion.
>
> "For example, if there were standards by which the term "archival" was
> defined and enforced,
> then one or more lines of blanks labelled "archival" could be used."
>
> Archival is a tricky word and can mean different things to different
> people.
> Joe


NIST just put a good document on storage and handling and the AES/ISO Joint
Technical Commission is currently working on a Optical Disc storage and
handling document.

As far as "archival" is concerned, on the Joint Commission, we've been
trying to do something about putting a reasonable definition in the "Terms
and Definitions" section of a number of AES, ANSI and ISO standards
documents for years.  Unfortunately, the response we've gotten has not been
promising.  Trying to define "archival" at this point impacts too many
previously published documents and , frankly, has too many political
ramifications in the industry for a "formal" definition to pass the
standards voting process any time in the near future.  This is why we have
had to make do with phrases such as "medium-term life expectancy" and
"extended-term life expectancy".  You might notice that these phrases don't
seem to have been picked up in advertising literature.  Oh well, a consensus
on what archival means when referring to media would be really nice and I'm
certainly open to any suggestions on how we all could get such a definition
into a published standard.  Any ideas?


Peter Brothers
President
SPECS BROS., LLC
(201) 440-6589
www.specsbros.com

Restoration and Disaster Recovery Service Since 1983