Preserving & Realizing Your Diocesan Legacy Audiovisual Collection Jon-Erik Gilot, MLIS ACDA Meeting August 19, 2015 Cleveland, Ohio

Part I – Why Digitize? Identifying Your Audiovisual Assets Planning for Digitization Part II – Case Study: Digitizing the Audiovisual Archives of Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy

“Benign Neglect is Not A Preservation Strategy” - Joshua Ranger, AVPS October 2012

Magnetic Tape Composition Issues: Binder Deterioration Lubricant Loss Magnetic Instability Source – clir.org

Life Expectancy Definition: The length of time a tape may be archived until it will fail to playback. Contributing Factors: Frequency of Access Care When Handling Storage Climate/Conditions Source: caps-project.org

Obsolescence, Inaction = $$ Cost of Inaction Calculator: Issues: Machine Obsolescence Decreasing Field of Qualified Analog Engineers Increased cost of inaction Source: avpreserve.com

Caring For Your Collection Proper Storage Environment Approx 50°-60°/40-50%rH Minimal exposure to light Away from radiators, vents, sources of vibration and magnetic fields. Store like sizes together, if possible Proper Handling Clean hands Do not touch playing surface Think before you play! Source: avpreserve.com Proper Identification Give each tape a unique ID Inventory

Formats You May Encounter Audio Early grooved disc, wire and belt recordings Mid-century open face reel, magnetic tape – multiple tape sizes, tracks Later cassette, digital Video Early open reel formats – broadcast and consumer Wide range of cassette formats – Various sizes, speeds Later digital formats

Grooved Discs Various sizes – 7 – 18 inches Various substrates – Aluminum Steel Glass Cardboard Various Speeds – 33RPM 45RPM 78RPM Issues – Delamination Palmitic/Stearic Acid Source: archives.gov Source: hoover.org

Grooved Belts Found from 1940s – 1980 Used almost exclusively for dictation Typically plastic belts or discs Various colors (indicator of age) Issues – Flexibility Folds/creases Staples Obsolete equipment Source: obsoletemedia.org Source: archives.gov

Wire Recordings 1940s – 1960s era Commonly 3 ½ inches diameter Used in dictation, interviews, live recording Low audio quality Issues – Easily tangles/nests Obsolete Equipment Source: archives.gov Source: nyu.edu

Open Reel ¼ Audio Tape 1930s – 1990s Reels vary in size from 5 – 10.5 inches Speed may vary from 3.75ips – 30ips Ability to record multiple tracks Tape base may be – Acetate Polyester PVC Paper Issues – Poor Packing Rogue Splices Soft Binder Syndrome Mold Equipment Obsolescence Source: archives.gov Source: nyu.edu

Cassette Formats 1960s – 2000s Polyester Tape Base Low-fidelity Runtime anywhere from 60 – 180 minutes Issues – Mold Soft Binder Syndrome Broken Shell Audio Drop Out (DAT) Equipment Obsolescence Source: wikipedia.com Source: grinnell.edu Source: archives.gov

Video Reel Formats – 2”, 1”, ½” 2” & 1” were broadcast formats 2” – 1950s – 1970s 1” – 1970s – 1990s ½” was a consumer-grade format 1960s – 1980s Issues – Soft Binder Syndrome Mold Extreme Obsolescence (2” & ½”) Source: archives.gov Source: archives.gov Source: lib.standford.edu

Video Cassette Formats Earliest Broadcast Format – ¾” U-Matic 1970s – 1980s Early Consumer Formats – Betamax & VHS 1970s – 1990s Later Beta/Digibeta – still found in use 1990s Various other formats DI, DII – Broadcast Video8, Hi8, Digital8 – consumer DVCPro/Cam/miniDV, HD – still in use 2000s Issues – Obsolescence (3/4” U-Matic, VHS) Soft Binder Syndrome (3/4” U-Matic, VHS) Mold Compressed content (later digital formats) Fragile tape (later formats) Source: archives.gov

Planning Your Digitization Project Inventory Your Collection! Unique ID Format Type Generation Content/Date Runtime Actual/Max Any Issues – Mold, Damage, etc. Identify Vendor(s) RFP (If Desired/Required) Capabilities In Line With Needs Experience With Formats Deliverables References Expect the Unexpected Problem Tapes Misidentified Content File Issues Identify Priorities! Lifespan Value of Content Intended Use/Audience Budget Apply to Future Projects What Worked/What Didn’t? Make Friends With IT! Identify File Types/Sizes File Naming Convention Metadata Needs Storage & Backup Accessibility Time Commitment

Questions? Thank You! Jon-Erik Gilot, MLIS ACDA Meeting August 19, 2015 Cleveland, Ohio