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This publication is an excellent resource for librarians and archivists. The author has taken his considerable experience with optical discs and created a very handy guide with many practical tips.

The document includes a "Quick Reference Guide for Care and Handling" which lists the things that should and should not be done when handling CDs and DVDs. The introduction provides definitions of terms used in the guide. Next follows an informed discussion on the importance of preserving digital content. The author points out that technologies change so rapidly that it is important to be able to provide access to digital collections in their current format as well as being able to transfer the contents to future digital technologies. He also recommends archiving one copy of the digital material and storing it separately from the one that is used.

The chapter on disc structure is fairly technical, although still understandable to the non-expert, with several accompanying charts and diagrams. The life expectancy of optical discs is discussed in the subsequent section. Conditions that affect CDs and DVDs are discussed next, with the conditions divided into three sections that examine each type in detail. The first section, environmental conditions, includes temperature and relative humidity, light exposure, moisture, organic solvents, magnetism, x-rays, microwaves, radiation, and disc storage. The second section covers surface handling effects and includes scratches on the laser-reading and label sides, fingerprints, smudges, dirt, dust, marking, flexing, and applying labels. The third section discusses wear from disc play. The final chapter discusses cleaning of CDs and DVDs and provides many practical and useful tips.

The remainder of the guide contains appendixes, an extensive bibliography and several more detailed tables.

This guide is highly recommended for its intended audience. The tips provided for everyday use are invaluable for institutions with CD and DVD collections.

Co-published in 2003 by: Council on Library and Information Resources, Washington, DC and National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, Maryland. (42 p.) ISBN: 1932326049. It can be found online at:
<http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub121/pub121.pdf>
"Additional copies are available for $15 per copy. Orders must be placed through CLIR’s Website"--p.ii

Reviewed by:
Marianne D. Muha
Automation Cataloger
Buffalo State College
Buffalo,