| Q: What's the best way to store DVD (Taiyo Yuden | | | | Polycarbonate is actually pretty tough but, with too |
| premium) discs? We're in the middle of a large project | | | | many scratches or nicks, your DVD or CD player's |
| in which we're digitizing and archiving 3/4", M-2 and | | | | laser won't be able to focus on the bits of information |
| BetaCam tapes from the 1970s. | | | | on the disc, so it will be unreadable. |
| A: You've already taken an important first step by | | | | Protect your discs from warping and bending. |
| purchasing quality discs from a trusted distributor. Disc | | | | Store your discs vertically (like a book). Prolonged |
| quality is the single biggest influence on the longevity of | | | | horizontal storage can warp a disc, making it so it can't |
| your data. | | | | spin properly in the drive or allow a laser to properly |
| CD-Rs and DVD-Rs work by burning pits into the dye | | | | follow the tracks. |
| layer of the disc. If anything happens to this layer or | | | | Here's what I recommend, select an opaque disc case, |
| the reflective layer, your data is gone. | | | | preferably made from polypropylene. Polypropylene is |
| To get the maximum life from your archival discs, | | | | what we call chemically non-aggressive, which means |
| here's what you need to do: | | | | it won't react with your disc, literature or label. Also, |
| Protect your disc from light. | | | | polypropylene is a "clean" plastic and is recyclable, so |
| CD-Rs and DVD-Rs are photosensitive. Normal office | | | | it's also a responsible choice. |
| light or other ambient light isn't going to affect your | | | | The very best option for archiving, is probably |
| discs. We're talking about actual sunlight, very bright | | | | Univenture's UniKeep disc binders. The UniKeeps are |
| lights or very hot lights. | | | | opaque, 100% polypropylene and are very "square" |
| 1. Ultraviolet rays (which exists in sunlight) can react | | | | which makes them really easy to place on shelves. |
| with your disc's recording dye in a manner similar to | | | | You'll also want to take care with your labeling. Never |
| the way a laser would. | | | | use adhesive labels for long-term (more than 5 years) |
| 2. Sunlight can create enough heat to accelerate the | | | | archiving. Labels can peel apart over time, which could |
| breakdown of the dye layer of the disc. | | | | interfere with your disc drive. Also, attempting to |
| Protect your disc from extreme changes in heat or | | | | remove the label could cause the disc to become |
| humidity. | | | | "unbalanced" making it unreadable. |
| Discs are actually pretty resilient in a wide range of | | | | For additional information, I suggest you read The Care |
| temperature and humidity conditions, but you don't | | | | and Handling of CDs and DVDs: A Guide for Librarians |
| want to store your discs in an area that bounces | | | | and Archivists by Fred R. Byers. It was written in 2003 |
| between extremes. Also, keeping your discs in a | | | | for the Council on Library and Information Resources |
| cooler, less-humid area helps protect the dye layer. | | | | and the recommendations for storage are still very |
| Protect your disc from scratches. | | | | accurate. |