This presentation aims to retrace part of the history of data-sharing, storage, and information management, by focusing on the 90s and the hybridization as well as transition from CD-ROMs to online databases. Our starting point is anchored in the debates within the library community, where librarians, as early adopters, engaged critically with these emerging technologies. Drawing on these secondary sources, as well as archives from the EU Publications Office, and insights from a dozen oral interviews, we aim to analyze the role of CD-ROMs as a “transient technology” , then the hybrid data management practices, based on the case study of the EU Publications Office, and finally the broader impact of CD-ROMs on the process of datafication.
The first part focuses on the discussion within the library community about CD-ROMs as a “transient technology”. This adoption was influenced by the need to store, manage and disseminate large amounts of data efficiently. However, as online databases also emerged, the role of CD-ROMs was increasingly questioned. Scholars like Stratton (1994) and Bevan (1994) engaged in discussions based on an original article published in 1990 by McSean and Derek and entitled “Is CD-ROM a Transient Technology?”. These discussions reflected a broader uncertainty about the longevity of CD-ROMs and the evolving landscape of data management.
The second part examines the hybridization of data management practices within a specific context, using the EU Publication Office as a detailed (and in progress) case study. This institution exemplifies the complex interplay between traditional print, CD-ROMs, and online platforms during the 1990s (Schafer, 2020). The EU Publication Office, tasked with disseminating of numerous data and notably the daily publication of the Official Journal as well as public tenders, faced the challenge of managing multiple formats simultaneously. The Office itself, as a user of these technologies, had to navigate the challenges of integrating different formats into a cohesive information management strategy. At the same time, the end-users of the Office’s data were also adapting to the new formats, illustrating the dual-user dynamic in this transitional period. The case of the EU Publication Office thus provides a concrete example of how institutions managed the shift from analog to digital data and the co-existence of print, CD-Roms based, and online information.
Finally, we will conclude with the broader role of CD-ROMs in the process of datafication. CD-ROMs were instrumental in the conversion, dissemination, and transmedia movement of data, which set the stage for the web. In this way, CD-ROMs served as a catalyst for the broader process of datafication.
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