physical life expectancy for audio visual materials

[McCheyne <mccheyne@CLARITYCONNECT.COM>]

Does anyone know how long items like audio and video cassettes are expected
to last before they start to degrade?  I've had some questions about some of
the items I'm weeding.  Teachers arguing that even if it hasn't been used
recently, it will be used again.  My feeling is that the items aren't worth
processing through our database migration project, and that they've been
simply sitting long enough that they are starting to self-destruct anyway.
This is not really an emergency - the administration is behind me, and it's
only a couple of teachers who are mourning the loss - but it made me curious
about the actual "shelf-life" of these materials.

Thanks in advance,
Beth McCheyne
South Seneca Elementary
Interlaken, NY

mccheyne@clarityconnect.com  (home)
bmccheyne@southseneca.k12.ny.us  (work)

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