Refreshing
Refreshing is the digital preservation practice of copying records bit-for-bit from aging or obsolete storage media onto new media, so the data survives even as the physical carriers degrade or become unreadable.
Refreshing is the routine transfer of digital records from one storage medium to another identical or newer carrier without changing the underlying bitstream. Physical media decay and the devices that read them disappear: magnetic tape loses signal, optical discs delaminate, and drives for older formats stop being manufactured. Refreshing addresses this carrier-level threat by periodically copying the bits onto fresh, supported media before the originals fail.
It matters in recordkeeping because preservation is an ongoing obligation, not a one-time act; a permanent record is only as durable as the medium holding it. Refreshing keeps the data physically accessible across hardware generations and is paired with fixity checks so each copy can be verified bit-for-bit against the original.
Refreshing is distinct from format migration. Refreshing changes only the carrier and leaves the file format untouched, whereas migration converts records into current file formats to combat software obsolescence. A mature program does both: refreshing media on a schedule and migrating formats as they age.