1. Non-Paper Media LIS2214

2. Why do we care about non-paper formats?

3. We need to be care about these formats because... ► All library collections have media. ► Information isn’t just stored on paper. ► Collections often have more than one type of material. Just because it identified as a manuscript collection doesn’t mean it’s all paper.

4. ► Several Flavors  Consumer  Professional  Prosumer (Consumer/Professional Hybrids) ► Examples:  ¾” U-matic  VHS  Floppy Disk  Betamax  LTO Storage Tape  BetaSP ► Record and store a variety of material:  Numeric and textual information  Sound  Motion  Still Images … and that’s just a small taste of the multitude of formats What Are Some Examples of Magnetic Media?

5. Non-magnetic Media ► Base material can be:  Nitrate  Acetate  Polyester ► Audio component can be:  Magnetic (same composition as audio tape)  Optical (looks like sound waves. Film!

6. Non-magnetic Media Film! Unilateral Sound Track (optical) Magnetic sound track

7. Preservation Issues: ► Scratched Emulsion ► Brittleness ► Wear ► Color Fade ► Vinegar Syndrome [break down of the acetate base]

8. Preservation Issues: ► Storage temperature should be no higher than 60 F ► Storage humidity should never drop below 20% RH. ► Improper cleaning and splicing ► Torn perfs [the little holes along the side] ► Lack of leader at head and tail of film

9. Computer Media Floppy Disk Aperture Card Laser Disc Compact Disk

10. Take a minute to think about your first computer. What was your first computer? What are some problems with wanting to use it today? Take a minute to think about your first computer. What was your first computer? What are some problems with wanting to use it today?

11. This was mine….

12. Magnetic Tapes ► Long strip of polyester film coated with a magnetizable recording material. ► Most widely utilized media for off-line data storage and backup protection. ► Computer use.

13. Floppy Discs ► Introduced in 1971 ► The most widely encountered type of removable magnetic disc ► 8” form was standard until IBM selected the 5.25” floppy for its PC. This was followed by the 3.5” floppy disc.

14. Components of Magnetic Storage Media ► Recording Layer ► Iron oxide fe 2 o 3 ► Substrate ► Several variations possible with the most common being paper or acetate ► Binder ► Holds everything together ► Lubricant ► Allows for smooth transport

15. Components of all Magnetic Storage Media Source: http://www.tri-magnetics.com/tape_comp.htm based on an image from Vidipaxhttp://www.tri-magnetics.com/tape_comp.htm

16. Recording Media ► Capable of being magnetized when placed in a magnetic field. ► Retains magnetism when the field is removed ► Magnetic tap consists of a thin layer capable of recording a magnetic signal supported by a thicker film backing.

17. Substrate ► Base material on which the recording material is coated. ► Examples:  An aluminum platter  Thin ribbon of polyester film

18. Binder ► Functions as a carrier for the recording media. ► Bonds recording media to the substrate.

19. Preservation Issues: ► Binder Degradation ► Lubricant loss ► Magnetic Particle Instabilities ► Substrate Deformation

20. Preservation Issues (cont) ► Binder Degradation:  Softening, embrittlement, loss of cohesiveness, or loss of lubrication.  The tape becomes unplayable  Sticky tape and sticky shed are commonly used terms to describe the phenomenon associated with deterioration of the magnetic tape binder. Common in audiotape stock/ ► Lubricant Loss:  Over time, the level of lubricant in the tape decreases.  Lubricants are partial consumed every time the tape is played.

21. Preservation Issues (cont) ► Magnetic Particle Instabilities:  Disruption of recorded signal.  i.e. a magnet. ► Substrate deformation:  Different film backings react differently in various environmental conditions.

22. Optical Disc Media: ► Examples:  CD Audio  CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory) or WORM (Write Once Read Many).  CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable)  CD-RW (rewriteable CDs) ► Examples:  Other generations.  DVD (digital video disc or digital versatile discs)  Blu-Ray

23. Imagine this Scenario: ► The is 2055, and your grandchildren are exploring the attic of your house. They find a letter dated 2008 and a CD-ROM. The letter says the disk contains a document that provides the key to obtaining your family fortune. Your grandchildren are excited but they have never before seen a CD- ROM, except in old movies. ► How should your grandchildren go about reading the CD-ROM? ► What are some problems they might encounter as they try to locate the fortune?

24. Optical Disc Basic Layers: ► Polycarbonate substrate (plastic) ► Data layers ► Reflective metal layer ► Dye Layer (i.e. pthalocyanine or cyanine or Metalized Azo or Formazan ) For CD-R /DVD-R ► Optional protective layer or label ► CD – protective lacquer coating

25. Basic Layers: http://www.yourdictionary.com/images/computer/CDR.GIF

26. CD and DVD Similarities: ► Same basic materials ► Same basic layers ► Same disc dimensions.

27. CD and DVD Differences: ► Placement of materials ► Bit size and track pitch ► Laser Frequency ► DVD – two half’s bonded together. ► CD – lacquer layer to protect material

28. What are some handling problems? All of these interfere with the laser focus ► Scratches ► Dirt or foreign materials ► Fingerprints

29. Repairs: ► Polish out ► Fill ► Cannot repair cracks or deep scratches ► Cannot repair damage caused by scratches on the label side of CDs. ► Cannot repair damage caused by adhesive labels on CDs.

30. Clean only when necessary ► Soft dry cloth ► Disc cleaning solutions ► Radial direction only ► No paper products ► Rinse with water first, if needed ► Water-based detergents made for CDs and DVDs ► Methanol or Isopopyl alcohol

31. Compatibility Issues: ► Recorded DVDs:  Do not necessarily play in every home player or computer drive.  Certain combinations are more compatible than others.  Hardware and media can be inconsistent.

32. Factors in playing recorded discs. ► Disc type –R is more compatible than –RW. ► Disc brands may vary ► Player make and model make a differences. ► Get newer, name brand hardware – newer home video players and computer DVD- ROM drives are more compatible. ► Newer the drive the better the compatibility.

33. DVDs ► DVD aims to encompass home entertainment, computer, and business information with a single digital format, eventually replacing audio CD, videotape, laserdisc, CD-ROM, and video game cartridges.

34. DVD (cont) ► Support of the consumer market ► DVD has widespread support from all major electronic companies, all major computer hardware companies, and all major movie and music studios.

35. DVD (cont) ► What are some disadvantages of DVD?  It will take years for movies, TV shows, other video programming, and computer software to become widely available.  Vagueness of spec and inadequate testing of players and discs has resulted in incompatibilities.  It uses digital compression. Poorly compressed audio or video may be blocky, fuzzy, harsh or vague.

36. Blu-ray ► Blu-Ray wins! [reminds some of the Beta/VHS wars of the 1970 and early 80s.] ► For a good discussion on the Blu-ray vs. HD DVD debate, see http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-8900_7-5600201-1.html

37. DVD Life-Expectancy ► Attractive for long-term storage of digital material because they cannot be erased or revised. ► Relatively robust – able to withstand heavy use and not easily harmed by scratches and surface blemishes. ► Due to aluminum, however, there may be some long term oxidation problems. ► Estimates are: 10 – 30 years. Kodak claims 200 years.

38. Obsolescence ► Before your magnetic or optical media expire, the technology that reads the media will cease. ► Preservation?  Reformat – transfer to a preservation media (only once)  Refreshing – transfer data to same medium  Migration – transfer data to new software

39. Challenges ► Format ► Composition ► Technology ► Environment

40. Reformting Issue 1 ► Selecting the format ► For Primary Storage ► For Use Copy  Best odds for longevity, migration, emulation.  Standard formats or industry offering.  Widely adopted and well documented.

41. Reformatting Issue 2 ► Quality of the reformatted copy ► What standards will you follow for  Audio  Image  Motion Picture

42. Reformatting Issue 3 ► Importance of Metadata  Descriptive – for object as a whole.  Administrative – ownership/provenance information, documentation of reformatting.  Structural – variations between parts and objects.