Annex 2 - Media for record storage

T/AST/033 - Issue 2

A2.1 Examples of media which may be used to store records are:

paper with a pH (acidity level) of between 6 and 9;
film, 35 mm roll;
silver–gelatin type microfilm or X ray film;
microfiche;
magnetic tape or disc;
optical laser disc;
hardware such as graphite samples, weld samples or other materials which have been or are able to be subjected to qualification testing;
electronic firmware (computer or component) such as thermal luminescent dosimeters (short term use only);
media for records that need special processing and control, such as computer codes and software and information stored on high density media or optical discs, which will need to be maintained and controlled to ensure that the records are readily retrievable and usable.

A2.2 For retention periods of up to 50 years, as required by LC 5(3) the requirements of BS5454 (2000) should be examined.

A2.3 The following media are considered to be acceptable for records with retention periods of up to 30 years:

paper copy retained in a controlled environment with an indexing system to allow retrieval in a reasonable time, for example, one working day;
microfilm or other microforms prepared appropriately and stored in adequate conditions;
punched paper tape or cards where the information is stored as physical artefacts on a paper/card medium. Such media will need to be stored in equivalent environmental conditions to hard paper copy;
magnetic media stored and maintained appropriately, such as disc packs, storage modules or disk cartridges and magnetic tape on open spool.

A2.4 The following media are considered to be acceptable for records with retention times of up to five years:

Any of those media considered acceptable for retention times of up to 30 years, plus optical discs. Records using optical disc media may be held for periods beyond five years provided that periodic checks are made to check for any deterioration in image quality. The record will need to be copied onto a new optical disc if any deterioration in image quality is found. This may be before the manufacturer’s certified lifetime of the original disc is exceeded.

A2.5 The following media are considered to be acceptable for records with retention times of up to three years:

Any of those media with retention times of five years or 30 years, plus flexible disk cartridges (floppy disks) and magnetic tape cartridges stored and maintained appropriately.

A2.6 The preparation and storage requirements for the different media should reflect the manufacturer’s guidance for the media.

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