Abstract: An optical data storage medium, such as a data card with a strip of optical data storage material, having peelable transparent protective layers adhered above the storage material. When a protective layer becomes too scratched to read or write through, it may be removed by peeling. More than one layer may be adhered successively above one another, and removed one by one as they become scratched. The peelable protective layers are preferably adhesive tapes made of Aclar, Mylar, polyester, or other hard-to-tear polymers with pressure sensitive adhesive. One or more of the layers, and an underlayer between substrate or card base and the storage material may be a water barrier material such as a polytrichlorofluoroethylene.

Abstract: An optical data storage medium, such as a data card with a strip of optical data storage material, having a thickness approximately that of a credit card and one or more moisture barrier layers. One of the moisture barrier layers is an underlayer between substrate or card base and the storage material, while a second moisture barrier layer is one or more of the transparent laminating sheet and protective layers adhered above the storage material. The barrier layers may be any of the transparent materials, having a maximum moisture vapor transmission rate of 0.1 grams water vapor/100 inch square/mil/24 hours at 38 C and 90% relative humidity, such as polytrichlorofluoroethylene and polyvinylidene chloride. The underlayer may also be a nontransparent aluminum layer.