And add to the list of do/donts in the article linked by Peace:

"Check regularly for updates in archiving methods, standards, and media life."

The article was written in 1996 and doesn't appear to have been updated. While the recommendations in the article are still good there have been some slight changes in CD formats and technology.

The recommendations for "archival CD manufacturers" probably are outdated; but since it's almost impossible to get blank CDs in special "archive grades" now for home recording it's likely an "academic point" for most.

Some "manufacturers" claim that accelerated life testing indicates reliable data retention to 50 years or more now (with proper storage), but when you buy a particular retail brand (or brand-line) you have no way of knowing who actually made the disks or what dye/base/layer methods were used, since all the "manufacturers" are actually "resellers" who switch sources frequently and without notice. It still helps to stick with a "major supplier/brand name" since the ones who want to keep a good reputation usually do impose more and better quality control testing and verification than "discount" or "unbranded" suppliers.

If you're accumulating enough "valuable" CDs to merit serious concern about archival life, it's probably almost equally important that you be very concerned about having a method of indexing what's on the disks and finding the one you want. It doesn't make much difference whether the disk is good or gone, if you can't figure out which one you want and find it in your collection.

John