Date   : Mon, 02 Dec 2002 22:47:06 -0000
From   : "Mike Mallett" <mike.mallett@...>
Subject: DIGITAL DOMESDAY BOOK GETS NEW LIFE

Spotted on Newscan.com - to follow discussion on this list sometime ago
...


DIGITAL DOMESDAY BOOK GETS NEW LIFE

The BBC's computer-based, multimedia version of the famed Domesday Book
has received a new lease on life, thanks to scientists at Leeds
University and the University of Michigan, who have found a way to
access the archive stored on 1980s-era interactive video discs. To
unlock the now-obsolete technology, the Camileon project teams have
developed software that emulates the Acorn Microcomputer system and the
video disc player. "BBC Domesday has become a classic example of the
dangers facing our digital heritage," says project manager Paul
Wheatley. "But it must be remembered that time is of the essence. We
must invest wisely in developing an infrastructure to preserve our
digital records before it is too late. We must not make the mistake of
thinking that recording on a long-lived medium gives us meaningful
preservation." The information on the Domesday discs has been
inaccessible for 16 years. By contrast, the original Domesday Book, an
inventory of England compiled in 1086 by Norman monks, is in fine
condition in a London Public Record Office. (BBC News 2 Dec 2002) 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2534391.stm