LISNews: Librarian News

Paper leader tape?!? Who thought of this? I can only guess that using paper as leader tape is useful when editing 1/4 inch audio tape but for archival purposes it's not an alternative. So far every splice on the current recording I am working on has "exploded" during rewind and I must apply new leader tape before I can make a dub of it which is not my preferred method. I can only imagine how much mositure paper will absorb over the years. In this case the recording is approximately 20 years old but the paper tape seems dry to the touch. There is also the matter of the tape taking up space on the reel as it is significantly thicker than the audio tape itself. It does seem strong longitudinally. It's just that the splicing tape doesn't adhere to the paper very well after 20 years.

Current recording: Duo pianists Pierrette Lepage and Bruce Mather playing John Hawkins, Ivan Wyschnegradsky, Mather (same as performer), Chabrier and Schumann on June 8, 1977 in Walter Hall, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.