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The comment from the archivist in TN was interesting -- once they gathered up all the old news 
footage and made it accessible to the university community, everyone found a use for something in 
the collection. I suspect it will be similar with the massive pile of VHS tapes. Since history is 
made up of connected events that seem to happen in waves, most old footage of truly newsworthy 
events will come back around to relevant at some future point. All too often, the day's events and 
crisis are deja vu all over again. Unfortunately, reviewing the news coverage of the last time we 
drove of the rails this way doesn't ever seem to provide a learning experience, just the strange 
comfort of knowing we're making the same dumb mistake, again.

There is one slight error in the article. Saying the networks were too "modest" to keep recordings 
of their newscasts is being more than charitable. It was a dollars and cents decision, 2" videotape 
cost$$$$. So, often, tapes were erased after delay-broadcasts and reused.

As far as I can tell, based on who goes to the archives most often, CBS kept more footage than 
anyone else.


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Peter Hirsch" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, November 23, 2013 12:29 AM
Subject: [ARSCLIST] Solo video news archivist


> *To those offended by off-topic postings, forgive me for sending this link
> that I was made aware of via the ARCHIVES list. I know that is not
> recorded-sound-related but it clearly touches on an issue that possesses
> most of us to some degree. Like most accounts of extreme collecting
> behavior, it both appalls and inspires.*
>
> *http://tinyurl.com/mf7pfvh <http://tinyurl.com/mf7pfvh>*
>
> *Peter Hirsch*
> *NYPL*
>
>