6.1.1 Introduction

6.1.1.1 The following information on the management, long term storage and preservation of digitally encoded audio is based on the premise that there is no ultimate, permanent storage media, nor will there be in the foreseeable future. Instead, those managing digital audio archives must plan to implement preservation management and storage systems which are designed to support processes that go with the inevitable change in format, carrier or other technologies. The rate and direction of technological change is something over which archives have no control and very little influence. The aim and emphasis in digital preservation is to build sustainable systems rather than permanent carriers.

6.1.1.2 The choice of technological storage system is dependent on many factors, of which cost is but one. Though the type of technology selected for preserving a collection may differ according to the specific circumstances of the individual institution and its circumstances, the basic principles outlined here apply to any approach to management and long term storage of digital audio.