[jats-list] Library of Congress Recommended Formats Statement - comment period now open

["Bausenbach, Ardie abau@xxxxxxx" <jats-list-service@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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@xxxxxxx<mailto:thwe@xxxxxxx>].


(Please excuse cross-posting)