5. Media and Formats

5.5 Summary Recommendations

Media

Keep store and access areas free of smoke, dust, dirt and other contaminants.
Store magnetic media away from strong magnetic fields.
Transport magnetic media in enclosures with space clearances of 50 mm.
Store in a cool, dry, stable and secure environment (see Storage and Preservation).
Acclimatise media before use.
Use high quality media and devices.
Keep access devices well maintained and clean.
Do not place labels on optical disks and/or mark using a pen or pencil.
Follow manufacturers' recommendations for labelling.
Minimise handling and use of archival media and/or record number of accesses/use and implement appropriate refreshing.
Write archival copies from different devices and software.
Make archive copies to comparable media purchased from different suppliers.

File formats

Use "open" non-proprietary, well-documented file formats wherever possible.
Alternatively utilise file formats which are well-developed, have been widely adopted and are de facto standards in the marketplace.
Identify formats acceptable for the purposes of transfer, storage and distribution to users (these may be distinct).
Minimise the number of file formats to be managed as far as is feasible/desirable.
Do not use encryption or compression for archival files if possible.

Technology watch

Undertake a retrospective survey of digital holdings, a risk assessment and action plan.
Implement a process of technology watch and/or implement procedures for standardisation and changes in technology in your IS strategy.
Maintain a list of hardware/software available within the institution and use this to flag implications for technology change and hardware/software replacement/retention.
Ensure you have good preservation metadata in a computerised catalogue which can form the basis for technology watch and monitoring.
Consider "digital archaeology" to retrieve access to data in obsolete formats.