Preservation and conservation of sound recordings

On the basis of directly related scientific study, comparatively little is known about the preservation, conservation, aging problems, or properties of sound recordings. With the exception of work now being carried out on magnetic tape for the National Archives by the National Bureau of Standards (United States, 1986) and of research by the Ministere de la Culture et de la Communication for the Bibliotheque Nationale (Fontaine, 1987) on the effects of fire upon sound and audiovisual recording, virtually no independent work is going on in these areas. Most of what is known, and the basis for much of conservation practice, is carried over from other fields of research. Prior to completion of the two studies mentioned above, the primary independent document in this field has been Preservation and Storage ofSound Recordings (Pickett & Lemcoe, 1959). Pickett & Lemcoe, 1959). The Pickett and Lemcoe study, though out of print, is still valid today and is the basis of most of the conservation work in the field. Yet several topics are excluded in their report; for example, cylinders, laser discs, some of the more unusual disc formats, and digital recordings. Tape recordings are covered only briefly. Thus the majority of recommendations presented today are based upon daily trial-and-error. Further work comparable to that carried out by Pickett and Lemcoe, and the ARSC/AAA's NEH-funded study entitled Audio Preservation: A Planning Study as well as those now underway at the National Bureau of Standards and the Ministere de la Culture et de la Communication are greatly needed. This article's coverage of the various sound carriers which have been produced over the years is limited to those most frequently encountered in the modern working collection or in most archives, i.e., cylinder, disc, and tape recordings.published or submitted for publicatio