skip navigation
  • Ask a LibrarianDigital CollectionsLibrary Catalogs
  •  
The Library of Congress > Preservation > Resources > Recommended Formats Statement
Preservation
  • Preservation Home
  • About
  • Collections Care
  • Conservation
  • Digital Preservation
  • Emergency Management
  • En Español
  • FAQ
  • Preservation Science
  • Resources
  • Outreach & Training Opportunities
  • Have a preservation question?
    Ask-a-Librarian

Related Links

  • Donate
  • Blog: Guardians of Memory, Preserving the National Collection
  • Audio-Visual Preservation
  • National Film Preservation Board
  • National Recording Preservation Board

Recommended Formats Statement


{ subscribe_url: '/share/sites/Bapu4ruC/preservation.php' }
Resources Home: Educational | Research Reports | Supply Specifications | Recommended Formats Statement | Staff Publications
Main | Table of Contents | Introduction | Summary of Digital Format Preferences | Textual Works | Still Image Works | Moving Image Works | Audio Works | Musical Scores | Datasets | GIS, Geospatial and Non-GIS Cartographic | Design and 3D | Software and Video Games | Web Archives | Email

Library of Congress Recommended Formats Statement 2022-2023

Recommended Formats Statement identifies hierarchies of the physical and technical characteristics of creative formats, both analog and digital, which will best meet the needs of all concerned, maximizing the chances for survival and continued accessibility of creative content well into the future.

2022-2023 Recommended Formats Statement (HTML)

2022-2023 Recommended Formats Statement (PDF)

Summary of Digital Format Preferences (HTML)

Change log from 2021-2022 to 2022-2023 version (PDF)

Evaluation matrix template

This worksheet details how the Library of Congress determines if a format is "preferred" or "acceptable" based on both global/community criteria and local/institutional criteria. For more information, see Introduction.

Format evaluation template with sample data (XLSX)

Previous version

2021-2022 Recommended Formats Statement (PDF)

Change log from 2020-2021 to 2021-2022 version (PDF)

Library Contacts and Links

Contacts for the Recommended Formats Statement

Library Standards

Sustainability of Digital Formats

Collection Development and Policies

Get Acrobat ReaderTo view PDFs

Back to Top

Stay Connected with the Library All ways to connect »

Find us on

PinterestFacebookTwitterYouTubeFlickr

Subscribe & Comment

  • RSS & E-Mail
  • Blogs

Download & Play

  • Podcasts
  • Webcasts
  • iTunes U 
About | Press | Jobs | Donate | Inspector General | Legal | Accessibility | External Link Disclaimer | USA.gov | Speech Enabled Download BrowseAloud Plugin