Extension Tip of the Week (TOW)
May 5, 2008
Use Care When Labeling CD/DVDs
Don't write on your data CDs/DVDs, if you want them to last. A CD/DVD is just a piece of tin foil in between two layers of plastic and not as durable as we think. Use a water-based marker and mark the clear inner hub or circle where there is not date. Do not use a permanent marker, which gives off fumes that can degrade the discs. Pens and pencils put undue pressure on the CD/DVD and can also leave a residue. Using labels also is not advised because they leave a residue. And the label can cause problems when the CD/DVD is in a drive and spinning really fast.
It's best to store discs vertically. Horizontal storage puts undue pressure on the center ring of the CD or DVD.
Source: Chris Erickson, digital preservation officer for Brigham Young University, and the Council on Library and Information Serviced, Washington, D.C.
Tip of the Week (TOW) is emailed out weekly by Sherry McGill, ISU Extension Education Director in Woodbury County. To have the TOW emailed to you directly, please email Sherry at mcgills@iastate.edu.
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A. Jansen
5/5/2008