Problems in Information Science:

While the prospect of adapting contemporary computer technologies
to the preservation process as a means of facilitating
information processing and enhancing decision processes may be
alluring, a major problem remains.  Many emerging computer and
imaging technologies do not conform to existing design and
engineering standards.  In fact, the technologies are developing
so rapidly that few standards have been defined.  Along with the
rapid rate of change in the development of these technologies,
the absence of standards means that it is difficult to assess the
risk of investing the necessary time and money to procure and
integrate the technology into the preservation process.  There is
little assurance that the initial investment will be upwardly
compatible with the next generation of computer graphics tools
and information management systems.  However, there are
sophisticated CADD systems, modeling tools, and hypertext systems
that do conform to widely acknowledged (de facto) standards. 
Many of these systems have become available at the lower end of
the cost range.  If these demonstrate the capacity to enhance and
clarify not only presentation, but design and decision processes,
then the investment would seem cost effective, whatever the risk
of eventual technical obsolescence.

<cfile12>   Data Processing Technologies
<cfile16>   Electronic Industrial Age vs. Information Age
<cfile19>   Information vs. Negative Information
<cfile25>   Hypertext Introduction
<cfile73>   Upward Compatibility
<efile22>   System Flexibility