We transfer the content of all MD to gold archival CD and to cassette
tape (currently part of the process for transcription reasons,
although in the next year or so we will be moving away from this
practice as we upgrade equipment & software). My plan in the next
couple of years will also involve creating wav files for long term
storage.
My question about the MD was more of a practical than theoretical one
(although, as I said earlier there are definitely some things to think
about with the MDs that I can use to make the case to move away from
using them for original recordings). From the discussion, I gather the
consensus is it's not worth buying archival quality boxes to store the
original recordings in (sure we may have transferred the content of
the recordings but for a number of reasons I am not inclined to junk
or disregard the originals until they demonstrate actual degradation).
How are people storing MDs? Or is it that everyone is junking them
once a transfer has been done?
Katie McCormick
Reference Archivist and
Coordinator for the Oral History Program
Special Collections - J. Murrey Atkins Library
UNC Charlotte
9201 University City Blvd
Charlotte, NC 28223-0001
704-687-6288
kmccormi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx