What does it mean to ‘preserve’ a program?
In archival circles, there are three terms that generally describe efforts to protect and preserve materials – Conservation – an umbrella term generally used to describe having the responsibility for caring for the ‘objects’ to be protected. Conservation includes both Preservation and Restoration. Preservation – since all objects deteriorate, preservation means taking actions that will keep an ‘object’ from deteriorating. This often involves trying to stop, slow down or limit damage through controlling temperature and humidity, storing the objects using proper shelving and handling, and similar practices. Restoration – are activities that try to return a damaged object to its original form, or reproduce it as it was created. In terms of preserving public television programs, we try to save a program just the way it is broadcast. For decades, programs were recorded on videotape, so virtually all television archives today are comprised primarily of collections of videotapes, many going b
