[AV Media Matters] Regular winding/rewinding of tape and film.

[Anthony.GARDNER@DG10.cec.be]

A frequent advice for film and tape archives is that they should be wound
and rewound with 'correct tensions' and in a clean area every few years.
This advice is often justified theoretically, but what practical experiance
and 'scientific' evidence is there that it works.

Given (a big if) that the tape or film - when it was stored - was in fact
correctly wound:

1. What is the advantage of winding and rewinding again a few years later?
2. What are the disadvantages?
3. Does #1 outweigh #2?
4. Is there any real concrete evidence for these answers? (references,
reports, seminars, symposiums, ...)?
5. To what media does this advice apply (film - open reel - cassette)?
6. Do video cassettes need the same treatment?
7. Who is actually doing it on a planned organised basis and what is their
experiance?
8. What procedure should be adopted, given manpower resources are available,
and ...
9. ... is one wind/rewind on a well maintained machine enough, or should
cleaning and evaluation be attempted at the same time?

Thanks

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                                   Tony Gardner

                        DG10D3 Audiovisual Unit
                                    TRE120 1/63
                            European Commission
                   Wetstraat 200  1049 Brussels
                                        Belgium

           +32 2 299 9161   +32 2 299 9218(fax)
                             +32 75 828051(gsm)

                    anthony.gardner@dg10.cec.be
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