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Digital Repository Submission Guide

Institutional Repository for Texas State University

File Formats

The TXST Digital Repository accepts works in most digital formats. However, to ensure long-term preservation and accessibility, we recommend using stable, widely supported, and open formats whenever possible.

Preferred formats exhibit one or more of these characteristics:

  • Open documentation and non-proprietary
  • Widely adopted across platforms
  • Use of lossless or no compression
  • No embedded files, scripts, or encryption
  • Standardized for archival preservation

We recommend submitting files in openly supported formats for better long-preservation. Standard files in most any format are accepted but may be converted to preservation formats during our archiving process.

Current Preferred File Formats for Long-Term Preservation

Text Documents

Format File Extensions Preservation Notes
PDF/A .pdf (preferred) Specifically designed for long-term preservation.
Plain Text (UTF-8) .txt (preferred) Human-readable and highly preservable. Ideal for simple content.
CSV (Comma-Separated Values) .csv (preferred for tabular data) Open, non-proprietary, widely supported.
XML .xml Preferred for structured data with defined schemas.
Open Document Formats .odt, .ods, odp Open and non-proprietary alternatives to Microsoft Office formats.
Markdown / HTML .md, .html Increasingly used for documentation and web-based content.

Formats No Longer Preferred for Preservation:

  • .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx (acceptable for submission but should be converted to PDF/A or ODF for preservation).

Images/ Graphics

Format File Extensions Preservation Notes
TIFF (Uncompressed) .tif, .tiff (preferred) Gold standard for image preservation.
PNG (lossless) .png (preferred for web access) Good for screen-optimized and lossless images.
JPEG 2000 .jp2 (preferred for archival) Supports lossless compression; better for archival master files.
SVG (vector) .svg Best for scalable vector graphics.

Formats No Longer Preferred:

  • Standard JPEG (.jpg) for preservation (acceptable only for access copies, due to lossy compression).

Audio

Format File Extensions Preservation Notes
WAVE (Broadcast WAVE Format, BWF) .wav (preferred) Archival standard, especially with BWF metadata.
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) .flac (preferred) Open source, lossless, space-efficient.
AIFF .aif, .aiff Acceptable, but less preferred than WAV or FLAC.

Formats No Longer Preferred:

  • MP3 for preservation (acceptable for user access but not long-term storage).

Video

Format File Extensions Preservation Notes
Matroska (MKV) .mkv (preferred) Open container supporting multiple codecs and metadata.
Motion JPEG2000 .mj2, .mjp2 Archival standard but large and less commonly used.
MP4 (H.264 or H.265) .mp4 (preferred for access) Widely supported for user access but not ideal for preservation copies.

Formats No Longer Preferred:

  • AVI (inefficient and outdated)
  • QuickTime MOV (.mov) for preservation (acceptable for access but not as a preservation copy).

Digitization and Preservation

The Texas State University Libraries Digitization and Preservation Lab manages digitization projects, digital archives, and preservation of digital materials. If you have materials you are interested in submitting and need digitization, please contact us for more information: Contact Form