SNHU Academic Archive

Accepted File Formats

Items submitted to the Academic Archive must be saved in one of the following file formats.

These formats are categorized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)1  as a “supported format” for DSpace. They are considered sustainable as defined by the Library of Congress.2

After submission, each item will be reviewed by library staff before it is approved for access. Documents submitted in non-preferred formats will be converted by the library to the appropriate format, and the submitter will be notified.

The formats indicated with an asterisk (*) are preferred.

Text-based documents
*PDF, PDF/A    Portable Document Format
CSV    Comma Separated Values
RTF    Raw Text Format
TXT    Text
XML    Extensible Markup Language

Audio
*AIFF    Audio Interchange File Format
WAV    Waveform Audio Format

Video
*MPEG    Motion Picture Experts Group

Images
*TIFF    Tagged Image File Format
PNG    Portable Network Graphics

The following factors limit the ability to provide complete digital preservation.
Files will not be accepted if one or more of these factors are present:
•  Encryption    •  Compression    •  Password protection    •  Fonts not embedded

File Migration
File formats in the Academic Archive will be reviewed every three years to confirm they are still current. Currency will be determined by consulting documentation by leaders in the field, including, but not limited to, FCLA, MIT, and the Library of Congress.

1.  MIT Libraries. (2006). DSpace format reference collection. In Format Support. Retrieved from https://libguides.mit.edu/c.php?g=176372&p=1158986
2. Library of Congress. (2007, March 7). Sustainability of digital formats: Planning for Library of Congress collections.