USA: library of Congress wants to destroy CD in support of science

The library of Congress of the United States is asking Americans to donate the CD obsolete they have in their homes. The aim is not to investigate the data that the devices contain nor use them for artistic purposes, but rather for purposes of scientific research.

In essence, the library wants to destroy the CD (compact disc) for the lowdown. The investigation is being conducted by the Center for Analytical Science Samples, which deals with "destructive testing" to determine the best methods of preservation for the various library collections, including the CDs. Second Fenella France, Director of testing and conservation of library, the lab is conducting a series of tests in order to better understand the aging process of the CD.

"We are trying to understand, in terms of what kind of CD collections are at greater risk," explained France, quoted by Consequence of Sound. "The problem is that different producers have different formulas for the manufacture of objects, it is hard to see how articles grow older because the producers were modifying the composition of objects over time and its properties of information". "All modern formats were not designed to last a long time. Were developed for mass production ".

And how are they destroyed these CD? Not with baseball bats or hammers, certainly. Is being used an accelerated aging machine that creates extreme conditions of heat and humidity. Some of the CD exposed to these conditions eventually oxidize and lose the data.

More than understand the forms of conservation of CD, the unit of investigation is also studying the ways people treat the CD. For example, one should always get a CD by opening the middle. And if you wrote at the top of a burned CD, to know when that match the data, prepare yourself, because most likely this CD be spoiled in a short time.

"People are usually more concerned with the risks at the bottom of the CD. However, it is possible to damage a CD when writing on top because the ink is absorbed and damages the reflective metal layer ", explains the researcher.

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