[1] From: David Green <david@cni.org> (27)
Subject: Electronic Archives
[2] From: Willard McCarty <Willard.McCarty@kcl.ac.uk> (9)
Subject: cyberculture
[3] From: David Green <david@cni.org> (86)
Subject: UNESCO World Information Report
--[1]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 29 Jul 1997 17:50:46 -0400
From: David Green <david@cni.org>
Subject: Electronic Archives
NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT
July 29, 1997
THE PRESERVATION OF DIGITIZED RECORDS AND REPRODUCTIONS
In the context of continuing discussion and thought about the management
and preservation of digital material come two related by separate policy
statements, one from the Society of American Archivists and from the
Australian Archives.
The first is a statement of principles, recently approved by the Council of
the SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARCHIVISTS. The three-page "Statement on the
Preservation of Digitized Reproductions,"
<http://www.archivists.org/governance/resolutions/digitize.html> covers the
issues of preservation, selection, quality, integrity and access. Overall
the document stresses the importance of considering and carrying forward
the context of a document or object when it is digitized, the importance of
an object's metadata accompanying the object throughout its digital
history, and of the long-term care of an object through migration onto
future generations of digital carriers.
The second announcement concerns the release of the AUSTRALIAN ARCHIVES'
policy document, "Managing Electronic Records - A Shared Responsibility"
<http://www.aa.gov.au/AA_WWW/AA_Issues/ManagingER.html>. This is an update
of a 1995 policy document and marks an increasing understanding of the
importance of long-term care of electronic records and objects, from
creation through migration. To quote from the Introduction:
"The essential features of such an approach involve:
* strategic management of electronic records;
* the development and implementation of electronic recordkeeping systems;
* the migration of electronic records, with their content, structure and
context intact, across changes in software and hardware platforms."
--[2]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 08:19:30 +0100
From: Willard McCarty <Willard.McCarty@kcl.ac.uk>
Subject: cyberculture
Some Humanists may not know about the Resource Center for Cyberculture
Studies, <http://otal.umd.edu/~rccs/>, run by a new member of this seminar,
David Silver. It includes book reviews, interviews, course listings, listing
of scholars, bibliography, conference listing, links, etc.
WM
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dr. Willard McCarty, Senior Lecturer, King's College London
voice: +44 (0)171 873 2784 fax: +44 (0)171 873 5801
e-mail: Willard.McCarty@kcl.ac.uk
<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/wlm/>
--[3]------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 30 Jul 1997 12:33:57 -0400
From: David Green <david@cni.org>
Subject: UNESCO World Information Report
NINCH ANNOUNCEMENT
July 30, 1997
UNESCO WORLD INFORMATION REPORT RELEASED
The first World Information Report has just been published by UNESCO. This
390-page volume provides a comprehensive and topical worldwide picture of
archive, library and information services on the five continents in 1996.
It is divided into three parts:
In Part 1, libraries and information services, together with archives, are
presented in 13 chapters, each devoted to a particular region; audiovisual
archives are the subject of one worldwide chapter.
Part 2 reviews the infrastructures for information work with 5 chapters
devoted to computer developments, multimedia technologies,
telecommunication technologies, the Internet, and design criteria for large
library buildings.
Part 3 offers 8 chapters in which a number of issues and trends are
discussed: the information society, information highways, economic
intelligence, book publishing, access to archival holdings and unique
library materials, presentation of archival holdings and unique library
materials, copyright in the electronic age, international co-operation and
assistance. The report is edited by Yves Courrier (UNESCO) and ASIS member
Andrew Large (GSLIS, McGill). The 32 authors were drawn from a variety of
countries, but most authors in part 2 and 3 are from the industrialized
countries.
Of the 27 chapters of the report, nine are available online, together with
an Introduction, at <http://www.unesco.org/cii/wirerpt/vers-web.htm>. The
online chapters are as follows:
Introduction, by Yves Courrier and Andrew Large;
Part One, INFORMATION SERVICES WORLDWIDE:
Ch 2: South Asia;
Ch 8: Latin America and the Caribbean;
Ch 10 The Arab States,
Ch 11 Africa;
PART TWO: INFRASTRUCTURES:
Ch 17 Telecommunications Technologies;
Ch 18 The Internet;
PART THREE ISSUES & TRENDS:
Ch 21 Information Highways;
Ch 26 Copyright in the Electronic Age;
ch 27 International Co-operation and Assistance.
Those wishing to pursue issues raised in the report may join a listserv at:
<worldinfo-report@unesco.org>
Orders for the 275FF Report may be made through UNESCO Publishing at
<http://www.unesco.org/publishing/jp2.html#88d6bfd0208436f80a471d3fdd1cc76b>
Below, I include the opening "Presentation" from the report
"The World Information Report provides a worldwide picture of archive,
library and information services in 1996. This sourcebook not only covers
in detail the state of the art of archive, library and information services
in the five continents, but also addresses the most challenging issues that
they face at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
"A thorough review of the world of information, from East to West and from
North to South, is offered in Part I. For the first time , a general
picture covering both developed and developing countries describes:
national archives, libraries and information centres; school, university
and public libraries; national and international networks; database
producers; professional associations and education; public and private
institutions providing all sorts of information services. Tables and
figures synthesize the data available region by region.
"The Part II deals with the basic technical components of information work,
which are presented in the form of state-of-the-art reports. Computers,
telecommunication and multimedia technologies, and Internet together with
library buildings are accordingly reviewed from an information perspective.
"Part III is concerned with issues and trends of relevance to information
provision. Crucial problems such as the future of books and copyright,
access to archives, preservation of the archival heritage, and
international co-operation and assistance are presented for the benefit of
the layman. Prevailing trends leading to the twenty-first century's
information world are covered in chapters such as The Information Society,
Information Highways, and Economic Intelligence.
"Prepared by UNESCO, which secured the contribution of the best specialists
from all over the world, the World Information Report is an instrument of
both diagnosis and decision. It will provide decision-makers, government
officials, information professionals and the public at large with a better
understanding of the information world as it is today and a more acute
insight of what it will be tomorrow. "
===============================================================
David L. Green
Executive Director
NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR A NETWORKED CULTURAL HERITAGE
21 Dupont Circle, NW
Washington DC 20036
www-ninch.cni.org
david@cni.org
202/296-5346 202/872-0886 fax
==============================================================
See and search back issues of NINCH-ANNOUNCE at
<http://www.cni.org/Hforums/ninch-announce/>.
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