tapecollected

Tapecollected is an online archive and community project dedicated to cataloguing, preserving, and sharing information about magnetic tape media and the recordings they contain. The project seeks to document tape formats, their historical context, technical specifications, and cultural significance, while facilitating the preservation of content that might otherwise be lost to degradation or neglect.

Content and scope: The collection covers a range of magnetic tape formats, including audio cassettes, open-reel and compact reel-to-reel tapes, DAT, VHS, Betacam, U-matic, and related data tapes. It emphasizes metadata-rich item records, digitization status, preservation actions, and provenance. Users contribute catalog entries, photographs, and, where rights permit, digitized excerpts or full copies.

Organization and governance: Tapecollected operates as a volunteer-driven initiative, often hosted by a non-profit or cooperative. It employs community moderation, open licensing of contributed metadata, and transparent governance to ensure reliability and long-term sustainability. Data and content may be released under permissive licenses to support reuse in scholarly and archival workflows.

Metadata and access: The archive uses common metadata standards such as Dublin Core and PREMIS for preservation events, and may export records in METS or Dublin Core formats. A search interface enables retrieval by format, maker, title, date, and preservation status. Contributions are encouraged from archivists, collectors, and researchers.

Impact: Tapecollected serves as a reference point for archival practice, hobbyists, and researchers interested in analog media. It supports preservation planning, provenance research, and public awareness of tape-related media heritage.