Characteristics of standards for digital imagery:
* Nature of digital technology implies continuing volatility.
* Precipitous standard-setting not possible and probably not
desirable.
* Standards are a complex issue involving the medium, the
hardware, the software, and the technical capacity for
reproductive fidelity and clarity.
* The prognosis for reliable archival standards (as defined by
librarians) in the foreseeable future is poor.
Significant potential and attractiveness of digital technology as a
preservation medium and access mechanism.
Productive use of digital imagery for preservation requires a
reconceptualizing of preservation principles in a volatile,
standardless world.
Concept of managing continuing access in the digital environment
rather than focusing on the permanence of the medium and long-term
archival standards developed for the analog world.
Transition period: How long and what to do?
* Redefine "archival."
* Remove the burden of "archival copy" from paper artifacts.
* Use digital technology for storage, develop management
strategies for refreshing medium, hardware and software.
* Create acid-free paper copies for transition period backup
until we develop reliable procedures for ensuring continuing
access to digital files.