The many file cabinets come in many different shapes and sizes, from the traditional vertical and lateral file cabinets, to the more complex and expensive mobile aisle system (Read-Smith et.al. 97). The usage of paper will never become obsolete; it will always be around.
III. Digital Electronic.
The digital electronic family is comprised of methods that convert the information .
by using "electronic means" (Records Management of Australia). The life of digital .
electronic storage media can be projected from a few years to over 100 years. There are .
two classes: magnetic and optical. They include magnetic disk and tape, optical disk and .
tape. The digital electronic method offers easy access, but excellent transmission, distribution, and restoration. The focus is on improving the quality and access to the information. However, since the technology is relatively new and keeps on improving, standards are lacking in many areas of it. For example, digital storage is not considered archival, which means it requires monitoring and an eventual rewrite and a digital image are considered unequal to the equivalent of the original paper document. Also, the drive systems will eventually become obsolete, making the retrieval of the information not only costly, but also lengthy (Brittanica). Since it also requires high-resolution, the grayscale requires even more storage space, making it costly to attempt.
Magnetic Disk.
A magnetic disk is a rotating circular plate that has a magnetized surface on which information may be stored as a pattern of "polarized spots" or tracks, such as a CD or a DVD (Records Management of Australia). These plates are then stacked into disk drives and may be either removable or non-removable. Although it is an easy way to store images, it, like a CD or DVD, can be easily scratched and ruined. .
Magnetic Tape.
Technically, magnetic tape is a plastic, paper, or metal tape that is coated with iron oxide on which information is stored as a patter of polarized spots.
