My sense is that more and more institutions are beginning to store image master files on servers rather than offline on CDs or some other medium. We started with offline CD storage, in duplicate, using the "archival" mitsui/mam-e gold CDs. We recently loaded these files onto an image server and only 1 CD out of about 500 was unreadable (fortunately the duplicate was fine).
Our most vexing problem is backing up the server files. We could just rely on the RAID 5 configuration on the server to protect us from a hard drive failure, but there is an outside chance that two or more disks could fail at the same time (the scenario would be some kind of disaster like fire, flood, etc.). So we do want a second copy of each file offline (and off-site). For the volume of data to be backed up (1 Terabyte and counting), tape is expensive--you need an automated tape library system, which is out of our reach. So we are going with external hard drives. These come in many flavors (some have fans for cooling, some have a version of RAID, some are network-attached and some are standalone, etc.). We are using external drives made by Seagate. The capacity is anywhere from 160 GB up to 400 GB. Western Digital makes similar devices. There are other manufacturers (e.g. LaCie) but I've been advised that the hard disks used in some of these devices are of lower quality than those made by Seagate and Western Digital (and perhaps a few others). It is also possible to purchase the external hard drive enclosure, and purchase and install the hard drives oneself. When a file is archived we copy it to the server and to the off-line hard drive. There is a period of time when the external drive is not filled yet and remains on-site, where theoretically it is vulnerable to the same kind of catastrophe that could nix the server. But we feel it is a relatively small risk. However we do use the smaller- capacity drives (which are a bit more expensive per gigabyte than the higher capacity drives) so they fill up and get out the door to offsite storage more quickly. I often wonder if we are going totally overboard with this. It is very expensive to purchase and maintain the hardware, and very difficult and time consuming for staff to implement and maintain the procedures required. What we are storing is not original art work, just images of the art work. I've heard some people say it would be cheaper and easier to just re-create the digital archive, in case of a loss, than it is to fastidiously maintain the archive through time. I suppose we've concluded, at least for now, that though this might be true, we prefer to minimize handling the collection as much as possible, so we are committed to maintaining the archive. Will Real Carnegie Museum of Art >>> remko.janson...@vizcayamuseum.org 12/30/2005 10:18 AM >>> After a year on the job I have collected loads of digital images * = scanned, shot, donated. It's time to put the master files in storage.Is = there a general consensus on what materials to use? What type of CDs? Is = there a specific pro or con to use CD envelops (compacter) or jewel boxes = (more rigid)? Does anyone have good experiences with specific CD drawers/bo= xes/cabinets? Is there anything I am overlooking here? Any and all = comments are appreciated! * and a good new year to all! Remko JansoniusCol= lections and Archives ManagerVizcaya Museum & Gardens3251 South Miami = AvenueMiami, FL 33129t: 305-860-8433f: 305-250-9117www.vizcayamuseum.org = miamidade.gov"Delivering Excellence Every Day" Miami-Dade County is a = public entity, subject to Chapter 119 of the Florida Statutes concerning = public records. E-mail messages and their attachments are covered under = such laws and thus subject to disclosure. All e-mail sent to and received = at this address is captured by Miami-Dade County servers and kept as a = public record.=20 --- You are currently subscribed to mcn_mcn-l as: rlancefi...@mail.wesleyan.edu To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-mcn_mcn-l-12800...@listserver.americaneagle.com
