Highlights of NIST report on optical media care
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Here are some highlights of the NIST guide Care and Handling of CDs and DVDs - A Guide for Librarians and Archivists (local copy). Please note that this summary is by no means a substitute for reading the entire guide.

• "Among the digital media, prerecorded and write-once optical discs are more stable than digital magnetic tape. Neither optical discs nor magnetic tape, however, is as stable as microfilm or paper. With proper care, microfilm and non-acidic paper can last for centuries, while magnetic tape lasts only a few decades (Van Bogart 1995)."
• The data layer of a CD is located very close to the label-side of the CD while the data layer of a DVD is located near the middle of the disk, so a CD is more vulnerable to damage to the label side than a DVD.
• A gold metal reflective surface lasts longer (but is more expensive) than silver or aluminum.
• For long-term storage, store optical disks vertically rather than horizontally.
• The data layer degrades faster than the outside clear plastic "substrate".
• Optical disks stored properly will almost certainly outlast the technology (that is, by the time your CD-R degrades you will no longer be able to buy a machine to play it on).
• "R" media (e.g., CD-R's and DVD-R's) will, in general, last longer than "RW" media (e.g., CD-RW's and DVD-RW's).
• Cooler, less humid, dark, and stable environments are best.
• Do not sit on optical media.
• Do not apply adhesive labels to recordable media intended for storage for more than 5 years.