Sustainability of Digital Formats
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Introduction | Sustainability Factors | Content Categories | Format Descriptions | Contact |
Still Image• SVG_1_1• TIFF_6 • All still image format descriptions |
Sound• WAVE• MP3_FF • All sound format descriptions |
Moving Image• MPEG-4_FF_2• AVI • All moving image format descriptions |
Textual• NITF• XML • All text format descriptions |
Web Archive• ARC_IA• WARC • All Web archive format descriptions |
Datasets• DBF• HDF5 • All dataset format descriptions |
Geospatial• ESRI_shape• GeoPDF_2_2 • All geospatial format descriptions |
Generic• ASF• RIFF • All generic format descriptions |
About the format descriptions
The digital content format descriptions accessible here provide specific information about individual formats and their characteristics. Each description provides moderately detailed information and citations. Planned for inclusion are a wide variety of formats: file formats, file-format classes, bitstream structures and encodings, and the mechanisms used to compress files or bitstreams. Inclusion of a description for a format does not imply that the format is preferred or acceptable for Library of Congress collections.
Descriptions are drafted and added to the site individually rather than on a scheduled basis. The compilers encourage persons with specialized knowledge to review and comment on the descriptions. Please use this contact form to provide comments.
These descriptions will not only serve as a resource for selection and acquisition at the Library but will also support the preservation of digital content as a resource for implementations of the Representation Network that is an element of the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) reference model. The Format Descriptions are intended to be consistent with and complementary to the proposed Global Digital Format Registry.
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