The article analyzes data format requirements from collection support services, content owners, and external users, as determined by the presentation, storage, and access characteristics of multimedia elements of electronic collections. Possible reasons for supporting (or not supporting) certain formats utilized for storing collection items are considered, taking into account the authors’ experience with the development of an electronic scientific journal publishing platform which allows multimedia materials to be published via a web interface. The analysis of multimedia data formats enabled the selection of the “technology stack” of libraries and modules, which serves as the basis for creating electronic multimedia collections and is currently under development. The system has been brought to the stage of “out of the box” deployment – both in its version for creating universal collections and in its version oriented toward electronic multimedia magazine publishing. Further support for all formats discussed in the article is planned.