Smithsonian racing to save rare audio stored on cassette tapes

BreakdownGenerated by LeadStory AI

• The Smithsonian is working to digitize thousands of rare cassette recordings at risk of being lost. 4s
• The collection includes audio from early space missions, cultural events, and interviews with notable figures. 42s
• A 2021 report warned that the audio collection is among the Smithsonian's most at-risk holdings. 1m 41s
• Obsolescence of cassette players and lack of technicians pose major challenges to preservation. 1m 56s
• The Smithsonian aims to make the digitized audio library publicly available, but the process is slow and requires playing each tape only once. 2m 15s