Preservation & Migration Seminar 2026

Worldwide, millions of historically invaluable audio and video recordings stored on magnetic tape are at risk of being lost forever, with digitisation hindered by media degradation and playback equipment obsolescence. In this panel, we will explore the possibilities opened by combining scientific, lab-based characterisation techniques to understand degradation mechanisms and their origins.

We will connect microscopic measurements to the real-world “syndromes” encountered in archives, such as sticky-shed and adhesion syndromes and embrittlement, drawing on case studies from private and national archives worldwide.

Recent synchrotron X-ray imaging results show that tape degradation is not limited to the binder. The magnetic pigment can also degrade, potentially leading to loss of stored information. Complementary diagnostics (e.g., spectroscopy, microscopy, and magnetic measurements) can reveal degradation pathways and help explain observed failures.

To address equipment obsolescence, we will introduce progress towards a universal tape reader using a high-sensitivity, touchless magnetic readout architecture, aimed at reducing reliance on increasingly scarce legacy machines.

The discussion will focus on practical decision points: what measurements can tell us about risk, which interventions are likely to help (or harm), and how to translate lab diagnostics into actionable guidance for digitisation workflows and long-term storage. From the perspective of content libraries, we will also highlight the scale and value of at-risk collections, and the accelerating opportunities for access as new technologies mature. We will conclude with a forward-looking view of how scientific innovation can help overcome tape degradation and format obsolescence, and how archives can position themselves to take advantage of these emerging capabilities.