Nick, I recently went on the same quest and discovered it to be much like the search for the Holy Grail: it may be out there, but it is unfindable.

I think I found no published standards because there aren't any, except in the broadest of terms.  I concluded that no one will publish a shelf life because there are too many variables to control, including materials used, manufacturing processes, and idiosyncratic details.  Then there are questions like, "How long were the media in inventory before being sold?" "Were they shipped from the factory in sun-baked trailors or boxcars?" "Can the label be trusted to accurately describe the materials used to make the media?"  What is your risk appetite?

However, as the ListServ has noted before, other issues may limit longevity before media degradation: OS, app software, print/display drivers, hardware, passwords, encryption, etc.

I like to quote RAND Corp.'s Jeffrey Rothenberg: "Digital media will last forever or five years -- whichever comes first."

Let us know if you find something to the contrary or the Holy Grail -- whichever comes first :-)

Gordy
Gordon E.J. Hoke, CRM
http://PositivelyRIM.blogspot.com


-----Original Message-----
>From: Nick De Laurentis <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Jun 10, 2010 5:25 PM
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Useful Shelf Life of Media
>
>I have been asked to put out "feelers" to a few associates in ARMA in 
>an effort to gauge... "Are there any published standards or positions 
>on the shelf life of various electronic media (CDs, DVDs, tape, optical 
>disk, etc.)?"

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