[Eril-l] Library of Congress Recommended Formats Statement - comment period open

[Scanlon, Donna]

(Please excuse cross-posting)


In just a year and a half since it first issued the document which has become the Recommended Formats Statement (http://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/rfs), the Library of Congress has been pleased to see the degree to which the community of stakeholders involved with creative works has engaged with it and valued it.  The Recommended Formats Statement was created to describe hierarchies of the physical and technical characteristics of analog and digital formats, which will best maximize the chances for preservation and continued accessibility of creative content.  So, it was gratifying to receive both positive comments and suggested improvements from some of the institutions and organizations most committed to and involved with the preservation and ongoing availability of creative works. These included the National Library of New Zealand, the British Library and the National Agricultural Library, as well as industry organizations such as the Recording Industry Association of America and dedicated and insightful individual experts from around the world.  In the past few months, we have been further honored to have the Recommended Formats Statement included as a resource in the Digital Preservation Coalition's Digital Preservation Handbook and to have the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services recommend the Statement as a resource in one of its e-forums.

With this sort of engagement and adoption of the Recommended Formats Statement, the Library wants to ensure that the Statement remains a useful document and guide, both for its own collection building and preservation needs and for those of others who are treating this as a valuable resource.  To do this, the Library is committed to carry on with its annual review of the Statement.  The teams of experts here at the Library of Congress who work on the six categories which make up the Statement will undertake that review from April to June, with the goal of making the Statement as accurate and useful as possible for all parties who have an interest in the preservation and long-term access of creative works.  Already we are looking at potential changes and improvements, such as the possible inclusion of FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) in our hierarchy of audio file formats.

So, we are requesting that any and all of you who are involved with creative works and have an interest in ensuring they last and remain accessible, please examine the Recommended Formats Statement and provide your input, comments and feedback to us, so that we can make it the best it can be.

The Library of Congress looks forward to receiving such input through March 31, 2016.  It should be sent to the Library through one of the e-mail contacts listed on the Recommended Formats Statement website or through the e-mail address listed below.

For more information, please contact Ted Westervelt [thwe at loc.gov<mailto:thwe at loc.gov>].

_________________________________________
Donna Scanlon, Electronic Resources Coordinator
Collections Development Office | Library of Congress
101 Independence Ave., SE | Washington, DC 20540
eMail: dscanlon at loc.gov<mailto:dscanlon at loc.gov> | Phone: (202) 707-6235
http://eresources.loc.gov



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