It may seem a wild jump to link Daleks with content archival but...Yesterday my daughter and I spent a few very pleasant hours wandering around the Dr Who Exhibition in Earl Court, London. It was very enjoyable to revisit the Doctors from Hartnell to Tennant alongside some of the brilliant creations of the current series.
I was reminded that the BBC wiped or destroyed many of the original episodes to either free up physical space or re-use media. Their folly is only being partially overcome by the recovery of episodes from off-air recording made by enthusiasts and the finding of old 16 mm copies that turn up now and then from far off corners of the Commonwealth.
It should be remembered that in the case of Doctor Who, a series which is now considered iconic, that 45 (yes 45) years ago it was seen as disposable.
There is a lesson here for all. When creating and managing content it should be:
- consciously stored in locatable locations
- moved to current formats as old formats become obsolescent
- be checked regularly for degradation
- be catalogued effectively
In 50 years time the contents of our Content may become important!
Oh and the pictures from the exhbition are here http://flickr.com/photos/ianwhite/sets/72157607202682076/
