Permalink Submitted by JW Halley (not verified) on March 8, 2011
I had some questions as a member of the Senate Library Committee at the
University of Minnesota and Wendy Lougee has referred me to this page.
If I read this correctly, you are storing all the data on magnetic disks without
any backup to CD's, DVD's or other media. Is that right?
What is the estimated lifetime of data on the media you are using? I inferred
from Wendy's remarks that you rewrite the disks frequently to be assured of
preservation. How frequently? What happens if you have a major infrastructure disruption which is not brief? Does all the data get lost? If
the answer to the last question is yes, are you considering a more permanent
backup medium for preserving this heritage through societal disruptions, which
, in my opinion, are not unlikely on a timescale of several decades?
Thanks for your attention.
storage media, longevity, reliability