Quantifying the magnitude of the digital preservation crisis provides only one dimension of the problem. Consider the broader consequences. When a culture loses its memory, it loses its identity. As digital records of our culture, science, history, and government disintegrate or become unretrievable, we leave an incomplete, defective legacy to future generations. In the case of democratic government, the implications could be serious.
Democracy is based on accountability, which makes responsible record-keeping mandatory.
Libraries and archives have served as society's guarantee of an intellectual audit trail. This trail will be fragmented or broken by relying exclusively on digital storage. There are no definitive figures on how much digital information is lost or unretrievable. While government and industry alike worry about the scale of the coming crisis, few are willing to admit that the problem exists. No Outward Signs of a Problem Visit a brightly lit, secure, and environmentally controlled facility where great numbers of magnetic files are stored, and you will see no obvious sign of a threat.