Stephen

There has been so much information on the web, and on this listserv, in the
last few years on htis topic that it shouldn't be hard to track it down with
some Google searches and prowls through the listserv archives. I tell people
to buy the most expensive gold CDs and DVDs they can find, and they will
probably last 5 years, maybe 15 (maybe 100 but who knows, we are getting
into probabilities here).

USB sticks, solid state drives and other storage media which don't spin
round and round - it seems the life depends on the number of times you write
to them, so if you write data on and stick the gizmo in an archive box it
should last many many years.

Removable / external hard drives: I've seen an academic research paper
suggesting, in good archival storage, that the data on the platters will
still be readable in 100 years. Personally I'd be interested in seeing if
the engine still powers up and the bearings still turn if unused for more
than a couple of years. Notebook (2.5 inch) drives are inherently more
robust than 3.5 inch drives. But overall, I don't like this idea at all.

Formats - go with PDF, preferably PDF/A. Native formats are a big no no, run
scared on this one. PDF is a proprietary but open standard, and government
records authorities world wide are betting that we will still be able to
read PDFs in the distant future (assuming you can still read the storage
medium).

No direct experience with legal holds, but I'd certainly stick a statutory
declaration or similar in with the data on the CD or DVD or whatever -
that's what we used to do with microforms for archival and evidenciary
purposes.

Cheers

Glenn

Glenn Sanders
Australia
0407 187 333
These views are mine alone. They may or may not be those of any
previous or present employers or clients. I don't know. If I'd asked and
they'd agreed, I would have signed it "Harry Peck and Co and Glenn".
Or whatever. But I haven't, so I didn't.

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