“Preservation”

Posted by Lynn Ramey on Sunday, February 12, 2012 in Research Tools.

I have been feeling this way ever since this course started — but now especially, after reading Fitzpatrick’s chapter on Preservation — I know absolutely nothing about how the internet works.

A month ago, I happily typed in www-dot, or http-colon, etc., without even thinking, noticing or appreciating that the combination of characters I was typing would in fact lead me not only to a website but to the website I sought.   Of course, I’ve run into websites that are no longer active, or that have had a “change of address” — but I’ve never reflected upon what that means exactly — both what it means for the consumer (moi) and what it means for the provider.  Link rot??  Now that I know the term, I’ll be sure to use it appropriately (but hopefully not too often).

And if an online journal encounters what Fitzpatrick calls a “trigger event”, and I no longer have access to needed information?  Fortunately, from what I could tell by poking around the Vanderbilt library website, it seems as if Vandy supports both LOCKSS and Portico — so at least I can rely on my university library to allow me continued access to the digital information (hopefully?).

As for e-books, and all the questions Clifford Lynch poses — I own a Kindle, but I have never purchased an e-book to read on it because I like to mark up and later share my books.  I use my Kindle for reading PDFs and other articles, as well as for public domain works.  My behavior (of not wanting to invest money in e-books), I now can explain, is motivated by my own confusion of ownership and durability; and I don’t know what needs to happen or what proof must exist in order for me to convert from paper books to e-books.