title: KEY ELEMENTS OF A FILE FORMAT STRATEGY: The only bad file format is one that hasn't been documented.
creators: Tyler Thorsted
abstract: Within the Digital Preservation Community there are many references to policies on file formats, acceptable file formats, preservation policies and strategies, risk matrices, and action plans. All have the intention of defining and describing file formats and guiding decisions on which formats to preserve how, and when. My team and I originally created a File Format Action Plan, which was later migrated from OneNote to Confluence and then included more strategic plans for hundreds of file formats. This paper explores which key elements should be included in an effective file format strategy and the different ways such data can be used by people and systems. What works for one institution may not work for another, and the work created by a larger institution may benefit those with smaller resources.
keywords: file formats documentation registry