Longevity of CDs

In response to Mark Clarke's question about how "really safe" CDs
are for storage I would first ask what he expects to store on the
CDs and for how long.  The longevity of the CDs themselves is
secondary to the longevity of the equipment used to retrieve the
information.  The bottom line is always how you get at the
information stored in digital form and how long it will be before
the necessary equipment is obsolete.  At that point if you can't
afford to convert everything to a new format then the information is
gone.  I still opt for "human-readable" formats like print and
conventional preservation microfilm for the long haul.

Suzanne Dodson
Facilities and Preservation Manager
University of British Columbia Library

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 11:23
                Distributed: Tuesday, September 9, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-11-23-010
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