Media

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An organization should create a set of policies for the handling of the media on which the digital objects reside. You will need to review your current practices before defining your policy.

The policy will document the characteristics of the media selected for preservation, while procedures will be more specific, as they will change as required, according to current industry standards. In some cases, it may not seem to those who are handling the digital objects that there is a medium. "It's on the server" is the commonly heard refrain.

However, even in these cases, the digital objects do reside on media. In this case, hard disk media which sit inside the server. As noted in the recommendations, media are comparatively more fragile than traditional physical artifacts and can be subject to more environmental forces resulting in more rapid deterioration than traditional artifacts. Therefore, policies on the handling of media must encompass both the handling of media and their eventual replacement with new copies of the existing media and moving digital object onto new media formats.

Consideration should also be given to the devices used for reading the media; often the devices fail long before the medium itself is rendered unreadable and manufacturers may discontinue the devices themselves while still producing the media. However, not all digital objects can be easily moved from one medium type to another; some digital objects are tied to the properties of the media they are on. Many CD-ROM products are like this, particularly when data are encoded on the first track of a CD-ROM while supporting audio is recorded on subsequent tracks.

• Select a type of media for the organization's preservation needs for a defined period (perhaps 5–10 year intervals); an organization may choose more than one type but at the cost of greater support costs.
• Identify vendors; select at least two for media supply.
• Copy all existing digital files to the selected media type(s), create at least two copies and store one copy.

Consult Checklists for creating a preservation policy under “Media.”

Assess the situation in your institution! Go to Self-assessment zone: Activity 1 - media assessment

Recommended web links

Informational sites

Obsolescence: Hardware and Media from Cornell University Library.

Understanding CD-R and CD-RW. This is a question and answer style document produced by the Optical Storage Technology Association covering the entire gamut of information about the CD-RW technology including understanding the underlying technology, media longevity and lists of device and media manufacturers.

Care and handling

Care and Handling of CDs and DVDs: A Guide for Librarians and Archivists. It provides an extensive review of CD and DVD technology as well as the care and handling of CDs and DVDs.

Digital preservation approaches

"The State of the Art and Practice in Digital Preservation." A paper summarizing common approaches to preserving digital content, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. While published in 2002, the information remains current today.

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