Because the bulk of the material received by NAA deals with office productivity suites, converting it to an open format ensures the longevity of the information. Carden said its paper documents, if kept in perfect conditions should last well over 100 years. Digital information should also be afforded that luxury, he said.

In the U.S. a high profile OpenDocument case study is the state of Massachusetts. In September of last year, Massachusetts' then CIO Peter Quinn finalized a policy for state agencies to develop a gradual plan for migration to OpenDocument, beginning Jan. 1, 2007.