Digital preservation challenges
Without the right computer, disk drive, operating system and software, the information on a computer disk cannot be seen or understood.
The storage media for digital materials can also be short-lived. Magnetic materials such a floppy disks and magnetic tape deteriorate in a very short time compared to paper.
The greatest challenge, however, is the speed at which the technology is developing and changing and the rate at which hardware and software become obsolete, with little or no backward compatibility. Even if a CD-ROM were to last for 100 years, there may no longer be a computer or software to read it.
Capturing and preserving our documentary heritage published on the Internet presents another set of challenges. Publications can disappear and change without warning.
