KSPACe FILE FORMAT SUPPORT POLICY |
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The KSPACe Sponsoring Institutions (KSI) are committed to preserving and maintaining public access to the publications submitted to the KSPACe repository. As technology evolves, the KSI will need to take action to convert or migrate the digital publications housed in KSPACe to the latest technology standards. In an effort to reduce the cost and complexity of these future digital preservation activities, the KSI will support fully only a limited number of file formats.
File Format Support Level Definitions
Files submitted to the KSPACe repository are assigned to one of three file
format support level categories:
The three file format support levels are defined in the following way:
Preferred |
The KSPACe Sponsoring Institutions are confident they can make bitstreams of this format useable in the future, using whatever combination of techniques (such as migration, emulation, etc.) is appropriate given the context of need. Formats in this category meet all of the following requirements necessary for long-term preservation:
Acceptable |
The KSPACe Sponsoring Institutions will preserve the bitstream as-is, and allow it to be retrieved. The KSPACe Sponsoring Institutions will attempt to make bitstreams of this format useable in the future. However, bitstreams in this category do not meet all of the requirements necessary to guarantee long-term preservation.
Unsupported |
The KSPACe Sponsoring Institutions strongly discourage the submission of bitstreams in this format. The KSPACe Sponsoring Institutions will attempt to preserve the bitstream as-is and allow it to be retrieved, but will not attempt to make bitstreams of this format useable in the future.
CURRENTLY SUPPORTED FORMATS |
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The table below lists the KSPACe level of support for various format types. If you have any questions about support levels, you should contact the KSPACe Administrator.
| Category | Preferred | Acceptable | Unsupported |
Text |
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Raster Image |
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Vector Graphics |
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Spreadsheet |
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Database |
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Presentation |
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FILE FORMAT CONVERSION GUIDELINES |
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Several commonly used file formats are categorized as “Unsupported” in the KSPACe repository, most notably Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Microsoft Office products, while widely used and accepted, are highly proprietary applications that present significant long-term preservation challenges. As indicated in the file format support level definitions, the KSI strongly discourage agencies from submitting files to KSPACe in “Unsupported” formats. Agency staff, however, often can apply relatively simple techniques to convert files from an “Unsupported” to an “Acceptable” format. The examples below demonstrate methods for converting Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files to “Acceptable” formats. The KSI will work with agencies to develop similar techniques for other unsupported file formats.
Converting Microsoft Word (Unsupported) to Rich Text Format (Acceptable)
Note: Converting highly formatted Word documents to RTF can result in the loss of some formatting. Conversion to PDF often represents a more reliable option in these cases. |
Converting Microsoft Word or PowerPoint (Unsupported) to PDF (Acceptable)
Note: These procedures assume that Adobe Acrobat 6.0 resides on the workstation being used for the conversion. |
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR FORMAT ISN'T LISTED |
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Please contact the KSPACe Administrator if you have questions about a particular format.