ABSTRACT
Prior to Sound Preservation, archivists should consider a conservation program. Conservation includes assessing a sound collection to establish a condition baseline and/or triggering immediate preservation reformatting if the conditions or the technology indicate such action. Conservation consists of re-housing sound materials into new containers and placing these materials in a monitored temperature (between 65°–75°F) and humidity-controlled (between 40-60% relative humidity (RH)) environment until either a deterioration issue occurs in the collection or before the playback equipment for the sound format becomes obsolete.
