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Keep tapes in a dust free environment, away from direct sunlight.
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Avoid high temperatures, humidity and moisture.
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Never store tapes near magnetic fields, (top of TV, speakers, etc.).
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Try to give tapes 24 hours to adjust to extreme temperature and climate changes.
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Fast-forward & rewind tapes every 2 years to prevent sticking.
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Store tapes upright and in proper storage cases/boxes.
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Plastic storage boxes are the best solution for long term storage.
Elevated humidity in combination with warm temperatures accelerate the process of deterioration while drier and cooler conditions slow it down. Videotapes kept in hot and humid climates have little chance of long-term survival unless placed in carefully controlled storage conditions.
- Audio and video collections require specific care and handling to ensure that the recorded information will be preserved. Attention to storage environments is necessary to ensure that the recorded information is preserved for longer than 10 years. For information that must be preserved indefinitely, transcription from old media to new, such as DVD, is necessary, not only because the original media are unstable, but also because the recording technology will become obsolete.
Videotape is an important media in most collections. It is important to take good care of the videotape to safeguard your investment. Whether your collection is public or private, whether it circulates or not, videotape has a much shorter life span than most people know. In fact, a videotape that is over 15 years old almost certainly needs careful attention, and most tapes over 20 years old need professional help.
If your collection consists mostly of inexpensive commercial tapes that are still in print, we recommend that you throw away the damaged tape and buy a new replacement. If, however, the tape is very meaningful to you (locally produced, old, out of print, or personal videotape) then it is probably worth recovering. Transferring to a new digital format, such as DVD, is the best way to guarantee the ability to view the tape in the future.
Deterioration and obsolescence
Videotape was never engineered to be a permanent record. Prolonging the life of videotape is a complex task dependent upon numerous
variables, some of which are beyond control. These problems, however, pale in comparison to the overarching issues of inherent deterioration and technological obsolescence of video formats and their related equipment. These are fundamental concerns for archives,
libraries, and individuals that make the preservation of videotape a priority in the coming years. A carefully managed plan can minimize potential losses.
