Alternative File Formats for Storing Master Images of Digitisation Projects

This document is the end result of a study regarding alternative formats for storing master files of digitisation projects of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek (KB) in The Hague, the Netherlands. The study took place in the context of reviewing the KB's storage strategy. The magnitude of digitisation projects is increasing to such a degree – the estimate is a production of 40 million images (counting master versions only) in the next four years – that a revision of this strategy is deemed necessary. Currently, master files are stored in uncompressed TIFF file format, a format used world wide. 650 TB of storage space will be necessary to store 40 million files in this format. The objective of the study was to describe alternative file formats in order to reduce the necessary storage space. The desired image quality, long-term sustainability and functionality had to be taken into account during the study.

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