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Archivists warn magnetic media crisis could mean losing history
By Jaelynn Grisso, story published 09/28/2026
VHS and other magnetic media empowered people to record everything - from public spectacles to home life. But the tape and media are degrading, and archivists are sounding the alarm that history will be lost if they aren’t saved.
MIPoPS, or Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound, works with a range of organizations in the region to preserve their magnetic media, such as VHS or audio cassettes.
Magnetic media degrades more quickly than other media types like film. For example, a standard VHS tape only lasts for 10 to 30 years. That’s why the Library of Congress estimates most magnetic media will need to be digitized and archived by 2032.
Acting executive director Libby Hopfauf said it’s also important to preserve this media specifically because of the role it played in giving more widespread access to recording.
“Film was really expensive for a while,” Hopfauf said. “So, really, only people who had money could afford to buy equipment and record their own stories. Then when video was introduced, a lot more people were able to purchase the equipment and all of their tapes that they had. It was also more portable, so it's easier to carry around and tell your own story. And that's just really important because a lot of communities who didn't really have a voice and recorded history, like in moving image recordings, were able to document their stories and their cultures and their experience.”
MIPoPS has already digitized more than 12,000 tapes, but Hopfauf says there are thousands more to go before the 2032 deadline.
“Since magnetic media is actively dying, there's a lot of urgency around that to help support those preservation efforts before time runs out, and then important, unique content is lost forever,” she said.
