[ARSCLIST] labeling tape boxes

[Matthew Snyder <msnyder@xxxxxxxx>]

I have been doing a freelance archival processing/cataloging job for a
retired producer who owns a substantial number of unique recordings in the
form of 7" and 10" inch analog reels. After over a year of getting a
handle on the papers in this collection, I've recently begun cataloging
the recordings, and I've hit upon a problem of organization.  I'd like to
assign unique numbers to each reel to assist in locating them, but I'm
somewhat loathe to use any adhesive products on all these old boxes.
Funding is basically nonexistent for this project (I'm only taking a token
salary because it's a very important job), so buying or creating new tape
boxes or enclosures for the boxes for a couple of hundred tapes just isn't
an option.  Does anyone here have suggestions for a labeling product that
doesn't cause TOO much damage to cardboard, but will last at least a few
years until the collection can make its way to a repository? I know not to
trust a manufacturer's assurances of "archival" quality, but I do trust
that somebody on this list has tackled such a problem before.  Many thanks
in advance!

Matt Snyder
Music Archivist
Wilson Processing Project
The New York Public Library