Congrats to Beth who has joined the league of preservationistas fighting the good fight to establish preservation programs in lands where preservation formerly did not exist. I for one know how hard it is to put down the microspatula and sit one’s ass squarely in front of a computer for months on end (the whole conservation vs. preservation administration dynamic).  Beth, beers on me at AIC.

As a congratulatory tribute to Beth and her lifelong commitment to proving and communicating the evil of tape, may I present a special edition of Tape Is Evil: tape that has lost its stickiness when you really wish it would have just kept on keeping on:

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These film boxes represent the tip of the iceburg that is my next grant project. In short, these sweet little yellow Kodak boxes contain reels (well, spools, or maybe just winds .. multiple spools or winds of film — uncored — in each box) of film from a local TV news station. But the labels on the outside of the box! The labels are the only thing we have to go on right now as far as the film’s actual contents and date, not being able to playback the film  at present. And of course the labels are taped on with that cheap cellophane tape (is that the right name for that type of tape, conservators?) — you know, the kind where the adhesive is quickly absorbed by the paper onto which it is placed (where it discolors the paper horribly as it dries up), and the plastic carrier layer just peels off. For the first time in my conservation loving life, I have never so wished that the tape had a bit more vigilance. Just a little more staying power and we could have firmly affixed labels instead of a nightmare mystery film situation! Oh the agony — tape is evil indeed.