CLIENT INSTRUCTIONS

BEFORE DELIVERING YOUR VIDEO SOURCE TO ME:

Magnetic tape media inherently deteriorates over time. This deterioration can range from loss of analog video quality to the  destruction of the recorded video by having the tape roll layers physically sticking together and pulling the magnetic recording material off when trying to play the tape. Therefore, I ask that you run your tapes in your playback equipment  before I receive them to establish their present condition. The older the tape the more probable the tape may have some degree of this deterioration.

CARE OF VIDEO OR AUDIO TAPES:

Giving your tapes special care can slow the  deterioration of magnetic tape. The following are edited instructions from the Library of Congress:

Ref: http://www.loc.gov/preserv/care/record.html Tape Care in a Nutshell HANDLING General Do not touch the playing surface of any recording. Clean hands before handling recordings. Tape (Open Reels) Handle by the outer edge of the reel flanges and center hub areas only. Do not squeeze flanges together -- it will damage tape edges. Tape (Cassettes, Audio and Video) Handle by outer shell, only. Do not place fingers or any other materials into openings. STORAGE General Keep tape both open-reel and cassettes standing upright, on edge. Do not lay any recording flat, not even audio or videocassettes. Environment Keep all storage and use areas clean. Medium-term Storage (Materials to be preserved for a minimum of 10 years, ANSI IT9.13, 1996) Storage areas should be kept at a constant 65 to 70° F and 45 to 50% Relative Humidity (RH). Widely fluctuating temperature or RH severely shortens the life span of all recordings. Environmental conditions shall not fluctuate more that ±10 F or ±10% RH over a 24-hour period. Keep recordings away from light, especially sunlight and unshielded fluorescent lights. Long-term Storage (Materials having permanent value) Storage areas should be kept at a constant 45 to 50° F or colder (do not store magnetic tapes below 46° F as it may cause lubrication separation from the tape binder)  and 20 to 30% RH for magnetic tapes (open reel and cassette). Widely fluctuating temperature or RH severely shortens the life span of all recordings. Environmental conditions shall not fluctuate more that ±5° F or ±5% RH over a 24-hour period. Store in dark areas except when being accessed, being sure to keep recordings away from UV sources (unshielded fluorescent tubes and sunlight.) Tape Demagnetization In general, demagnetization is not a problem in most situations. For an added margin of safety to prevent demagnetization keep all tape (open reels and cassettes) away from potential sources of  demagnetization, such as loudspeakers, most of which have sizable magnets in them. Do not set tapes on top of or leaning against any equipment which can be a source of either magnetic fields or heat. Be careful about operating machines with electric motors (e.g., vacuum cleaners) next to tape storage areas. Tapes (Open reel) Boxes should be stored vertically. Dividers are not essential, but the boxes must be secured with a bookend and not allowed to fall. Tapes (Cassettes, Audio and Video) Cassettes in water repellent plastic containers should be stored vertically "on edge," not flat. Winding tapes Contrary to what your local video-store may say, tapes, including cassettes, should not be stored in the rewound or fast-forwarded position. Ideally, play a tape completely through, then store it  without rewinding. Rewind it just before playing it again.