Preserving Scientific Data

The National Research Council, on behalf of the National Archives,
NOAA, and NASA recently released a study on the topic of long-term
retention of the federal government's scientific and technical data in
the physical sciences.  The study concentrated on data stored in
electronic media and while the focus was on long-term retention of the
data, near-term management issues were addressed as necessary elements
for effective archiving.  The committee did not reach consensus on a
major recommendation: namely, to establish a National Scientific
Information Resource (NSIR) Federation.

The resulting reports are: 

* Preserving Scientific Data on Our Physical Universe: A New Strategy
for Archiving the Nation's Scientific Information Resources.

* Study on the Long-term Retention of Selected Scientific and
Technical Records of the Federal Government: Working Papers

Both reports are available from the National Academy Press,
Washington, DC.

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ARL 183
A Bimonthly Newsletter of Research Library Issues and Actions
Association of Research Libraries
December 1995