Archival File Format Selection and Design of File Format Sustainability Matrix for the National Library of the Czech Republic


Natalie Ostráková, Vojtěch Kopský




Selection of sustainable format is essential for long term preservation of digital content. Sustainability factors are known and compliance of formats with those criteria can be assessed with help of abundant resources. There is a considerable consensus on criteria, yet approaches to format evaluation vary amongst institutions. In this article we present discussion of the topic and our approach to such selection. We also propose the evaluation matrix, intended to make the selection process in our library more standardized.