History 1980-2000 Has Disappeared Into the Ether. Sorry

Computers, CDs, digital files and scanning have allowed vast amounts of information to be collected. But digital information can vanish with a keystroke, warns Ben Macintyre, columnist with “The Times” of London. Too many administrators and researchers take digital storage for granted and do not understand that CDs, electronic tapes and other storage modes have limited life spans. Part of the problem is the vast bulk of information, collected but not cataloged or archived. Not recognizing valuable clues for future historians, clerks often delete material in the short-term interest of saving space. Or the storage disks degrade with time. Macintyre points out that the average life expectancy for web sites is less than two months, so the modern treasure trove of data and information could be in appearance only, unavailable to future explorers. – YaleGlobal