[Folkserv] Upcoming Lecture: Bombproof Archives: Iron Mountain and the American Data Complex

[Moriarty, Megan]

Brian Michael Murphy, Dean of the College at Bennington College, will present "Bombproof Archives: Iron Mountain and the American Data Complex."

The United States has over 2,700 data centers—more than Germany, the United Kingdom, China, and Canada combined. In addition to these digital repositories, government agencies and corporations still maintain massive archives of paper documents, microfilm backups, and magnetic tape reels, as well as a vast network of securitized, climate-controlled locations to protect all these records. How and why did Americans become the most prolific generators and preservers of data on the planet? This talk explores the archives, vaults, and digitization labs of the Iron Mountain National Data Center in Boyers, Pennsylvania, a 150-acre facility located 220 feet underground, in a former limestone mine. With its armed guards, “bombproof” architecture, and intense surveillance systems, Iron Mountain embodies the key features of America’s “data complex”: the network of bunkers that safeguard “permanent” traces of American culture, maintain backups of vital records that certify state and corporate power, and instill hope for national resurrection even after the end of the world.

Monday, September 12
4-5:30pm
Hagerty 198A

Find more information on our website:
https://hcc.osu.edu/events/bombproof-archives-iron-mountain-and-american-data-complex


Megan Moriarty

Education Program Specialist


The Ohio State University

Humanities Institute

456 Hagerty Hall, 1775 College Road, Columbus, OH 43210


Center for Folklore Studies<https://cfs.osu.edu/>

218 Ohio Stadium, 1961 Tuttle Park Place, Columbus, OH 43210


614-247-1650

moriarty.8 at osu.edu<mailto:moriarty.8 at osu.edu> / osu.edu<http://www.osu.edu>


Pronouns: she/her/hers

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