Tuesday, 12 August 2008

CD/DVD storage and care

Looking after CDs and other electronic media is a new area for me and something I have started considering in my new role. After a little research here are my ideas and thoughts

  • Check the longevity of the media as stipulated by the manufacturer, I found that this can vary. Generally 1 year seems to be the norm.

  • Based upon this - have a renewal programme to renew the copies annually or as per the lifetime guarantee of the media

  • Duplicate and disperse, keep another copy but somewhere different, preferably not even on the site you work. Which is just a good principle in RM anyway!

  • Don't skimp on buying CDs/DVDs - you pay for what you get. Cheap media is likely to fail quicker and I have noticed more instances of bad burns on cheap media than on better quality (and more expensive) media.

  • Avoid gluing labels on top of CDs for several reasons - this can unbalance the CD/DVD in the tray and cause read issues. Also the glue can potentially damage the disc over time.

  • Find an appropriate storage case/wallet that does not scratch the discs!

  • Tell staff how to handle media properly - no mucky fingers or leaving it outside its protective case!

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