Disruptive Library Technology Jester

The Honorable George V. Voinovich
524 Hart Senate Office Building
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator:

I am writing to you in regards to House Joint Resolution 20, the Continuing Appropriations resolution FY2007, and in particular section 20703(D)(3)(a) which rescinds the unobligated balances available for the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP). As a practicing librarian and technologist, I can appreciate the focus the NDIIPP brings to the difficult work of preserving our nation’s heritage — a heritage that is increasingly reliant on digital media.

Digital media has become the principal mechanism to create, store and distribute information, from text to motion pictures to recorded sound. These digital forms increasingly embody much of our nation’s intellectual, social and cultural history. Unlike paper, film, and phonograph records, though, preserving information on digital media requires new and proactive steps to ensure access by future generations. The NDIIPP provides a national focus on important policy, standards and technical components necessary to preserve digital content. I look to the NDIIPP for guidance on the stewardship of State of Ohio resources under my care as part of the OhioLINK higher education library program.

With H. J. Res. 20 under active consideration this week, I urge you to propose an amendment to restore funding to the NDIIPP program. The relatively small amount of funding sustains the progress to date on the important issue of digital content preservation and provide invaluable guidance to librarians, archivists, and museum curators in our mission to preserve the country’s digital heritage.

Sincerely,

/Peter E. Murray/