ELL: Tr : arsclist how to archive your language and other matters

[Christian PERROTEAU]

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De : Brian Levy <xernaut at yahoo.com>
À : ARSCLIST at galileo.cc.rochester.edu
Objet : arsclist how to archive your language and other matters
Date : Lun 16 oct 2000 1:45


Hello all,

I would like to introduce myself.  My name is Brian Levy, and I work with
the Caddo Indian Tribe of Oklahoma as a Cultural Preservation Activist (for
wont of a better title to describe my job).  Basically I am helping the
tribe create a permanent archive of songs, dances, oral history in English,
and, quite importantly, since the tribe is down to only about twenty fluent
speakers of the language now, we are recording to DAT all manner of Caddo
language, including stories, monologues, prayers, conversation, etc.  We are
creating a master archive of Caddo audio materials, recording older analog
recordings on reel to reel and analog cassette, to CD directly, and copying
all DAT tapes made since we began using DAT two years ago, also to CD.  We
make on blue dye copy on Mitsui media (home audio type, not CDR computer
type, using a Harmon Kardon CDR2 machine, we also make one gold dye Kodak CD
home audio copy for a second copy of our archive housed at a archive in
Oklahoma.  A third copy is also made on the same Mitsui blue dye (silver)
CD's.  We may soon switch to just using computer CDR's instead of the home
audio type, since Tascam makes a machine for under 100 dollars which is high
quality and recommended.  I consult with others doing similar work to this,
and I am on this and other lists.  I am trying to determine the
archivability of this strategy.  We have 110 CD's so far, and no stop in
sight, as we have tons of analog recordings to migrate, and are constantly
making new DAT recording.
We have a huge quantity of old Beta, VHS, Hi8, Super8, and now we use Sony
TCR-320 Digital 8 cams for all videoing of elders and dances. We are waiting
to know what is best for permanent archivability for these.  I am guessing
DVD-Rom burners, as opposed to DVD-Ram or such.  But listening to some of
your pros on these list servers, I am wondering.  We do not have the budget
to buy equipment costing 50k now, we are very limited on budget, though we
might could get a grant to use better equipment.
I am just wondering what any of your folks also concerned with permanent
archivability of precious materials, both audio and video, would have to say
on our situation.  I would appreciate some advice.
Some have suggested computer hard drive storage.  Some have said (such as
the Getty Museum in LA, and the Library of Congress, that no current digital
medium is considered archival.  Only old reel to reel tapes quarter inch,
are considered time safe.  Since who knows, they argue, if any CD players
will even be available in 500 years, whereas due to the wide use of reel to
reel all during twentieth century by broadcast media etc, it will still be
playable.  Plus when audio tapes deteriorate on analog reel to reel they
gradually degrade in quality at playback, whereas, once digital degrades too
far, the machines can no longer decipher the one's and zero's and play the
CD back at all.
I know this is a long posting, but I wanted to introduce myself and the work
we are doing at the Caddo tribe, and hopefully get some guidance from some
more technically savvy folk...
Thanks.

      Brian Levy


------------------------------------------
Brian Levy
Cultural Activist
Kiwat Hasinay Foundation:
Preserving Caddo Heritage
211 W. Colorado Ave.
Anadarko, OK  73005  USA
(1) 405-247-5840

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