NLA expanding obsolete computer, software collection

24 June 2015 Books+Publishing

The National Library of Australia (NLA) is expanding its collection of obsolete computer equipment and software so it can access and preserve donations in outdated digital formats, reports ABC News.

Accessing older computer files and digital images is one of the most challenging problems faced by the library’s digital preservation team.

NLA’s manager of digital preservation David Pearson told the ABC that the storage vaults ‘included everything from a working Commodore 64 computer, to one of the earliest word processing programs, Wordstar’.

The library purchases retro software and equipment from eBay and receives donations from staff, friends and other government organisations. The team is currently seeking a copy of Adobe Acrobat 2.

Category: Library news