I think bytes (kilobytes, megabytes, etc.) is a common and meaningful
way of quantifying the volume of digital data, since it has to be stored
on media with finite capacity (that is usually quantified in x-bytes --
a 40 gb hard drive, or a 700 mb CD-ROM, etc.)
But if your dealing with a large quantity of digital data on physical
storage media (say, a collection of 100 CD-ROMs) the physical volume is
pertinent as well.
Thomas J. Wood
Archivist
Archives/Special Collections LIB 144
University of Illinois at Springfield
One University Plaza, MS BRK 140
Springfield IL 62703-5407
217-206-6520 | [log in to unmask] |<http://www.uis.edu/archives/>
________________________________
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Kathleen Jordan
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 10:41 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Cost to process a collection
Well, since everyone is on this particular topic, does anyone have any
method of measuring the processing of electronic records?
I'm thinking collections with email, web sites, databases and the like.
Is it possible to "translate" electronic records processing to cubic
feet? Or do we need a new way of applying a meaningful measurement to
electronic collections processing?
Have found myself more confounded by this than anything and am happy to
hear all comments, questions, thoughts, etc. about it.
Thanks,
Kathy
Kathleen Jordan
Electronic Records Archival Coordinator
The Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
804-225-3699
[log in to unmask]
________________________________
From: Archives & Archivists [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Mr Robert D. Shuster
Sent: Thursday, February 24, 2005 11:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Cost to process a collection
I would recommend reading Tom Wilsted's booklet,Computing the Total
Cost of Archival Processing, Technical leaflet No.2,(Mid-Atlantic
Regional Archives Conference: N.p., 1989)
There is also a brief discussion of some of the relevant literature in
Paul Ericksen and my article, Shocks: The Place of Processing Cost
Analysis in Archival Administration" in the American Archivist. Vol.
58, No.1, Winter 1995
Some of our experience at the BGC Archives on calculating processing
costs (including labor, materials, storage) can be found online at:
http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/ar/2004/17.html
Our average for eleven years, including all types of collections, was
7.4 hours per cubic foot, $181 per cubic foot. You might also want
segregate the different types of processing you are doing, since costs
can differ widely depending on whether you are processing a huge
collection of hundreds or thousands of boxes, updating an existing
collection, adding a few individual items to a collection, working on a
collecting that includes oral history interviews as well as other types
of material, etc.
Bob Shuster
BGC Archives
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