[ARSCLIST] Archiving and Reformatting Digital Files

["McCormick, Kathleen" <kmccormi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I am looking for information resources and suggestions on handling
proprietary and/or compressed digital audio files for preservation. 

As an oral history archive, we are about to receive several collections
from various constituents that will originate in the Windows Media Audio
(WMA) format and potentially in the Digital Speech Standard (DSS)
format, both of which are compressed formats (among other potential
issues). I am trying to find information that relates to the
issues/problems/hopes for handling these files - issues such as should
and to what format should these files be converted to (can you convert a
compressed file to an uncompressed format? [my understanding is no, not
really.] or if you can, is there any benefit to doing that?).

These are the first files of this type we will have to deal with and I
am dreading their arrival. Any advice would be welcome. 

Despite my strong advice against using consumer grade digital recorders
for collecting oral histories, professors and students are hard pressed
to spend $500+ on professional field recording equipment. Given that
there appears to be no middle ground recording equipment available for
under $300, they are choosing to spend as little as possible to get the
equipment. In which case, we are left to deal with the files in whatever
format they come to us. 


Thanks!

Katie McCormick
 
Reference Archivist and 
Coordinator for the Oral History Program
Special Collections - J. Murrey Atkins Library
UNC Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
 
kmccormi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
704-687-6288
http://library.uncc.edu/archives
 
 
"Whatever we do we may fail, but if we do nothing, failure is
guaranteed."