University of South Carolina, Research Foundation

Libraries and museums in the U.S. often hold large collections of audio and video recordings on magnetic tape. Recent surveys indicate significant portions of these collections need immediate preservation treatment, and that the condition of a large portion of the rest of such collections is unknown. A major challenge for these organizations is finding non-destructive, affordable, and practical tools for identifying which portions of their magnetic tape collections are degraded or most at risk. Building on previous work, a team of scientists from the University of South Carolina and the Library of Congress will conduct a study to validate methods for measuring the degree of degradation in samples from magnetic tape collections. The team also will design a prototype device and software that could be shared between cultural heritage organizations to help them assess their tape collections’ preservation needs.