Introduction
The preservation plan for audio content follows from policies and practices described in York University Libraries’ Digital Preservation Policy. This document explains the practical steps that York University Libraries take to preserve the intellectual content of audio in digital format. It outlines the basic tools, methods, and standards used for the long-term preservation of audio content.
Content Formats
For the preservation of audio content, York University Libraries require WAV or FLAC versions of the content, and descriptive metadata. During the ingest process, derivatives are created for streaming. York University Libraries continuously monitors developments in file formats to determine if and when formats require migration.
Submission Format
Audio submissions generally consist of a WAV or FLAC file and associated descriptive metadata.
Analysis on Ingest
Upon ingest, every file is subject to identification of its file format and validation using the File Information Tool Set (FITS). The output of the FITS identification and validation processes are recorded and associated with the object.
Content Excluded
York University Libraries do not ingest files that are not referenced (either as part of a representation or as associated media) in the associated metadata.
Acceptable Formats
For the Full Preservation level for audio, the acceptable formats are WAV and FLAC. Audio submissions may be in MP3 format; however, they will be preserved at the Bit-level Preservation level.
Last revised: January 11, 2023