Digital Records

Acceptable methods of transferring electronic materials to the Student Life & Culture Archives include both electronic and storage device delivery. It may be necessary to convert certain files to a format more accessible to Archives’ users. Early consultation with the Archives is strongly encouraged for all such materials.

Acceptable Formats

  • Scanned Images: TIFF, PNG, GIF, BIIF, and PDF
  • Data and Databases: XLS, XSLS, ODX, DB, FP7, MDF, and MDB
  • Digital Photographs: TIFF, JFIF, JPEG, and BMP
  • Web:  HTML, TIFF, and PDF
  • Email: including email attachments
  • Audio-visual: MP3, AVI, WAV, MPEG-4, and AAC may require specific software that must accompany the records. Please contact the Archives for further information.
  • Text:  DOC, DOCX, ODF, ODT, TXT, PDF
  • Presentation Materials: PPT and ODP

Storage Device Delivery

Preferred physical devices for the delivery of records in electronic format include:

  • USB Flash Drive or Thumb Drive
  •  Hard-drive
  •  Memory card
  • CD-ROM
  • DVD-R/W for audio; DVD-R/W for film is currently accepted on a limited basis. Please contact the Archives for further information.
  • Floppy disk

CD-ROMs and DVD-R/W should be appropriately labeled. Information should include the creator name, dates, and a description of the contents. Place USB flash drives, hard-drives, memory cards, and floppy disks in an envelope labeled with identifying information.

The Archives also accepts records through the following electronic methods:

  • Email: files and folders must relatively small in size
  • UofI Box: email eswain@illinois.edu for instructions.

When in doubt, don’t delete!