ABSTRACT
One horrible day 1,600 years ago, the wisdom of many centuries went up inflames. The great library in Alexandria burned down, a catastrophe at the time and a symbol for all ages of the vulnerability of human knowledge… Today, with little notice, vast archives of knowledge and expertise are spilling into oblivion, leaving humanity in danger of losing its past and perhaps jeopardizing its future as well… [when] a language disappears, traditional knowledge tends to vanish with it… (Linden, 1991)
