A method and apparatus are provided for preserving binary data on an analog archival medium, such as microfilm, in which the binary data is encoded, such as in a barcode symbol, in accordance with a predefined encoding specification. The predefined encoding specification may be stored along with the binary data to facilitate subsequent recovery of the binary data, even if the encoding technique has become obsolete. Error detection and correction code may be generated for the binary data and stored along therewith. By comparing the error correction code associated with the original binary data with an error correction code generated based upon the recovered data, the accuracy of the recovered data may be confirmed. Corresponding methods and apparatus for recovering the binary data are also provided.