Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Guide to Digital Preservation from NIST

Posted by michael on from the jesus-saves dept.

Little Hamster writes "The scientists working on the Digital Preservation Program at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has released an excellent 50 page guide on care and handling of CDs and DVDs for long term storage. It talks about the effects of light, moisture, radiation, scratches, marking, adhesive labels, and even playback on the discs. For those slashdotters who is not familiar with the physical made up of these optical discs, there is a very nice chapter explaining all the background. And if you only want to know how to care for your precious data, there is a one page summary. And yes, they agreed that glued-on labels are harmful."

7 of 190 comments (clear)

  1. Felt markers for labeling CDs by sidney · · Score: 5, Funny

    Use a black felt pen. If you do it right you get to label the CD and defeat copy protection at the same time

  2. When I was young... by cwernli · · Score: 4, Funny

    For CDs especially do not:
    2. Use a pen,pencil,or fine-tip marker to write on the disc.

    When I was young, we didn't have those fancy automatic CD burners, we had to manually write to them. And if you made one error, you had to walk 20 miles through a blizzard to the "local" dealer.

  3. Digital Preservation by SteveTheRed · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm backing up all of my data onto 8-track tapes and storing them on the dashboard of my car. They will be safe forever there...

    --

    I, for one, welcome our new robot overlords
  4. I'd have to argue... by devnullish · · Score: 4, Funny

    light, moisture, radiation, scratches, marking, adhesive labels

    Light can make pretty colours on your walls from the reflection off a CD.
    AOL CDs make cool coasters - so moisture is good!
    Radiation - anyone try putting a CD in a small bowl of water, putting a paperclip on it and putting it in the microwave?
    Scratches - Two words(acronymns): AOL CD
    Marking - See Scratching
    Adhesive labels - but what other kinds of labels can you get? Surely the adhesive types are preferable to the kind that aren't adhering. I mean if I put a CD in a drive with a label that didn't adhere, I'd ruin the drive alot faster than with an adhesive label.
    This was only a test (of my idiocy). Had this been a real example of my idiocy, someone would have killed me by now!

  5. Re:Looks like CD storage racks got it wrong then.. by Teddy+Beartuzzi · · Score: 5, Funny
    That's the one I don't get. Isn't all the data going to slide off if I store it vertical?

    Anybody who was able to get the 50 page article know why doing the horizontal bop is bad?

  6. what are we made of?! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Do not: ...
    8. Expose recordable discs to prolonged sunlight..."

    in other words, make no change in your lifestyle whatsoever.

  7. they forgot the most important one... by scatterbrained · · Score: 4, Funny

    don't forget to protect against nature's most
    destructive force - 3 year old boys on a sugar
    buzz.

    --
    -- All that's left of me, is slight insanity, whats on the right, I don't know. -- Bob Mould