Mirror Images: Performing a format migration of Kodak PhotoCD files

Harvard Library’s repository holds over 3,800 still images with Kodak PhotoCD files as their preservation copy. Originally deposited in the early 2000s, when the proprietary format was still considered a sustainable option, support for PhotoCD has declined in the past two decades. Tools that can accurately render and convert the format are increasingly scarce, and the window of time for generating new high-quality preservation copies of these archival objects narrows each year. In-depth color space analysis and migration research to establish a foundation for migration pathways of the PhotoCD files was conducted for the Library by a National Digital Stewardship Resident (NDSR). A project team composed of members from the Digital Preservation and Imaging Services units has now assembled to complete the project while the necessary tools are still available. This lightning talk will provide a synopsis of the conversion considerations, migration process, and decisions made about the next-generation formats and the resulting new still image objects.