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Richard, Tom (and others), A brief reply on a complex subject, below: >Two chemists I've worked with on this, Benoit Thiebaut who was at the Natural History Museum in Paris and Ric Bradshaw from IBM both have told me I'll never get the "pool test kit" that I had hoped when I started this investigation a while ago. >While I do not want to discourage Sarah from coming up with it when other say it's impossible--that's just a challenge for some--here are a few items to consider... Richard does an excellent job of describing the scientific methodologies and difficulties of research into tape and into historic materials. Generalizability is our Achilles' heel. While I wasn't promoting the fabled "pool test kit," I do advocate developing quantitative data that can support and enhance the many years of hands-on experience collected in this field. That type of data supports grant funding, encourages institutional efforts, and creates commonalities with allied professional fields. How unfortunate that the Van Zelst paper has not been published. I assumed I had been unable to find it on account of my own dismal librarianship. Sarah Norris Conservator Texas State Library and Archives Commission phone: (512) 463-5446 fax: (512) 463-5430 e-mail: [log in to unmask]