Abstract: The dual purpose data cartridge storage pack serves to accommodate both individual data cartridges as well as data cartridge magazines that serve to store a plurality of data cartridges. This architecture enables the user to use the data cartridge storage pack interchangeably to thereby accommodate varying quantities of data cartridges and data cartridge magazines without loss of cartridge storage space occasioned by the dedication of data cartridge storage racks for a single type of media element. The data cartridges are the industry standard IBM Magstar data cartridges that can be individually stored in a data cartridge storage pack or placed in the IBM Magstar data cartridge magazine. The present dual purpose data cartridge storage pack is equipped with a plurality of data cartridge storage locations, each of which is adapted to receive a single IBM Magstar data cartridge.