+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| SNAKEPIT INDUSTRIES |
| DOCUMENT ARCHIVE |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
root@snakepit:~/archive# ls -lah ./documents/
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ARCHIVE STATUS : OPEN
DOCUMENTS : 0
PAPERLESS : ABSOLUTELY NOT
FILING SYSTEM : EVOLVING
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ABOUT THIS DIRECTORY
This directory contains reference and archival documents.
Potential contents include:
> MANUALS
> DATASHEETS
> SPECIFICATIONS
> TECHNICAL NOTES
> SCHEMATICS
> HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS
> RECOVERED TEXT FILES
> SCANNED HARDCOPY
> DOT-MATRIX PRINTED MATERIAL
> DOCUMENTS WHOSE ORIGINAL PURPOSE HAS BEEN FORGOTTEN
---------------------------------------------------------------
DOCUMENT INDEX
No public documents currently indexed.
ARCHIVE STATUS:
WAITING FOR THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS.
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root@snakepit:~/archive# cat documents/METADATA.txt
ARCHIVAL METADATA
DOCUMENT:
ORIGINAL FILENAME:
DATE:
DATE CONFIDENCE:
SOURCE:
MEDIA:
FORMAT:
SIZE:
HASH:
RECOVERED:
DIGITIZED:
CONDITION:
TRANSCRIPT:
NOTES:
Unknown information should be recorded as:
UNKNOWN
Not:
"PROBABLY SOMETHING LIKE..."
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PRESERVATION POLICY
[01] PRESERVE ORIGINAL FILES.
[02] PRESERVE ORIGINAL FILENAMES WHEN PRACTICAL.
[03] PRESERVE FILE TIMESTAMPS WHEN RECOVERABLE.
[04] HASH ORIGINAL DIGITAL ARTIFACTS.
[05] IDENTIFY MODIFIED OR CONVERTED COPIES.
[06] SCANS SHOULD REPRESENT THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENT.
[07] TRANSCRIPTS SHOULD NOT REPLACE ORIGINAL SCANS.
[08] DAMAGE, CORRUPTION, AND MISSING DATA ARE PART OF
THE ARCHIVAL RECORD.
[09] DON'T CLEAN HISTORY UNTIL IT LOOKS NEW.
---------------------------------------------------------------
HARDCOPY DIGITIZATION
Original printed material may be presented as:
[IMG] ORIGINAL SCAN
[TXT] TRANSCRIPT
[PDF] DOCUMENT COPY
[RAW] SOURCE IMAGE
When available, physical characteristics may also be recorded:
> PRINT METHOD
> PAPER TYPE
> HANDWRITTEN NOTES
> DAMAGE
> FOLDING
> DISCOLORATION
> TRACTOR-FEED EDGES
Coffee stains remain coffee stains.
They are not image defects.
---------------------------------------------------------------
root@snakepit:~/archive# ./restore scan001.png
SOURCE ............... DOT MATRIX
CONTRAST ............. TERRIBLE
PAPER ................. YELLOWED
EDGE .................. TORN
HANDWRITING ........... PRESENT
COFFEE STAIN .......... PROBABLE
AUTO-ENHANCE? [y/N] n
GOOD.
THE DOCUMENT IS OLD.
THAT'S THE POINT.
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DIGITAL RECOVERY
Recovered media may include:
> 3.5" FLOPPY DISKS
> HARD DISK DRIVES
> OPTICAL MEDIA
> FLASH STORAGE
> BACKUP ARCHIVES
> UNKNOWN MEDIA FOUND IN BOXES
Original media should be treated as evidence.
Image first.
Explore copies.
Document everything.
root@snakepit:~/archive# find /storage -name "manual.pdf"
find: searching...
find: searching...
find: searching...
./box_04/misc/old/more_old/stuff/manual.pdf
root@snakepit:~/archive# echo $DOCUMENTATION
IT WAS HERE THE WHOLE TIME.
---------------------------------------------------------------
ARCHIVAL NOTE
Old information is not automatically correct.
New information is not automatically better.
Preservation answers:
"WHAT DID THE RECORD SAY?"
It does not automatically answer:
"WAS THE RECORD RIGHT?"
Those are different questions.
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