STHC-L: The Science, Technology and Health Care Archives Forum

Grand rounds tapes

• Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1999 12:11:19 -0400 (EDT)
• To: sthc-l@library.ucla.edu, lufte@hscsyr.edu
• From: Barbara Niss <bn2@doc.mssm.edu>
• Subject: Grand rounds tapes
• Message-ID: Pine.GSO.3.96.990722120146.15337B-100000@doc.mssm.edu

I have a very specific question and I would like to get an idea of what
others are doing.  I have a large collection of cassette tapes in vinyl
'cases' marked "Grand Rounds" that were transferred here from our AV
center in the Library. I have several feet of
these things and I am not really sure I want them all.  Still, I see
reasons pro and con for keeping them and so I would like input.

Reasons for keeping them include:  some of them are prestigious speakers,
either locally on our staff and even nationally.  Wouldn't it be nice 50
years from now to have these voices recorded talking about [whatever]?...

The cons include: yeah, but how to preserve this large group
of tapes so they will last 50 years?  And in a single person repository,
is it worthwhile to expend the energy and resources on this collection of
tapes when there is so much else to do?

I am kind of leaning toward keeping some but not all of these, re-housing
them and trying to gain some kind of intellectual control of them.  But,
still, do others find and keep these?  Advice?

Thanks!  

Barbara J. Niss
Archives of the
Mount Sinai Medical Center
bn2@doc.mssm.edu
(212) 241-7239