A large part of my activitiy is working with the issues and technology of media archiving. Not many people appreciate how much of our culture exists only in some mechanical form. Fewer still realize that much of it is deteriorating to where it is no longer accessible. I am involved in efforts to standardize preservation technologies and have developed systems allowing both preservation and access.

Media Archiving is the work of preserving material that is not printed on paper. Included are sound recordings, motion picture and still photo film, video and data. Sound recordings started on cylinders and disks, the vast majority of video is on magnetic tape and data is most often found on some form of magnetic media. Film is somewhat different but most motion film sound starts on magnetic media. If you are charged with preserving this material along with providing access to the content you are also in the business of maintaining a fleet of obsolete players. Video is probably the most stressful with at least 35 major formats being used since video recording came into existence. Many of the media are laminated and that often sows the seeds of it's demise through delamination. This deterioration is generally aggravated by climactic change so most archives have rigorous climate controls.

Following are some pieces that are involved in media archiving. Most are about audio and most come from the Belfer Lab that was, at Syracuse University.
 

If you archive media you have to have working players. Both contemporary and historic. 
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Holding an Edison cylinder, for scale. They played for 2 or 4 minutes.

The container
An audio archive has to preserve the accompanying visual information. (Click image to enlarge)
Packaging changes, there were format wars way back when

With the visuals you see that Edison changed his picture as he aged.

Inside the cylinder container, lining it, were notes on the recording. 
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And notes on other offerings (Click image to enlarge)		 (Click image to enlarge)
Other visual information gives context to the recordings
Album covers as well as informational are a recognized art form
Here is an early picture disk. A paper print laminated between two vinyl single sided records
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These were produced for the US armed forces in W.W.II. Early vinyl for durability when transported. The label has historical information.
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This disk is a test pressing. Many contain unpublished work giving insight to performers, conductors and the music
The album cover as period art
And again. Some examples of why audio archives have to care for more than the sounds.
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