Initial Thesis Concept, Melissa Fanton

Magnetic storage media has a short life cycle, but the complexity of its preservation has been an obstacle to creating standard preservation practices, which are still in their infancy. Many museums and archives with magnetic storage media seem to be waiting for the right "conditions" to begin preserving the content stored within (affordable storage, best practices, the right software and hardware), but predicted life cycles for most magnetic storage media are 30 years or less (under optimal storage conditions). Those floppy disks in the collection? They're "dead". Those VHS tapes? They're dead, too. Those video game cartridges? Dead. While paper materials are being digitized to improve accessibility, magnetic media deteriorates, threatening the existence of the content within.

My original goal was to read the current research and construct an argument that there are preservation solutions, we (in the museum field) simply don't prioritize these types of collection items. Museums will often accept these items into their collection without testing them due to time, labor, and equipment limitations (is the data in tact, "uncorrupted", and accessible?).

With a much narrower focus (specific type of media, specific type of institution or collection), I thought I would be ready to begin, however, it just doesn't feel right. A senior thesis isn't just supported by research; it is supported by four years of undergraduate education and other experience. Have I prepared myself to write about such a topic, even from a museum collections intern perspective? In some respects, yes, in others, not at all. My "gut" tells me I will be spending more time educating myself on fundamental concepts related to my topic than doing targeted, in-depth research and writing. Will I be mid-way through the process before my brain finally cries "does not compute!?" Before I make a decision to commit to this topic, I will need to do more research.

Since this idea stemmed from a concern with preserving video game software and hardware in museum collections, I have included the video I will be watching next. The video below is part II of a panel discussion hosted by the Smithsonian American Art Museum "focused on how to conserve and preserve digital media, specifically video games..." One of the members on the panel is J. P. Dyson, Director of the International Center for the History of Electronic Games (ICHEG) and VP for Exhibits at The Strong from The Strong National Museum of Play.