Moving Images: Videotape Recordings, 1940-2009, n.d. | Oberlin College Archives

Most of the Oberlin College Archives’ motion picture recordings on VHS cassette tape have some relation to Oberlin College or the City of Oberlin. The rest are, with only a few exceptions, related to Lorain County or the greater Cleveland/Akron area.

For the most part, the videocassettes date from the mid-1980s to the mid-2000s. VHS (Video Home System) tape was first released in America in 1977 and began to be replaced by other media in the late 1990s, first by DVCAM tapes on video cameras and then by DVDs in television recording devices.  For this reason, recordings at both ends of the date range often have duplicates in other record groups. Recordings from the mid-to-late 2000s often have DVCAM or DVD duplicates, while recordings from the 1920s through the 1970s often originated in another medium (first film, then, in the 1970s, magnetic tape on reels rather than in cassettes).  This is particularly important for anyone interested in the recordings in the Afrikan Heritage House series or the Oberlin College Shansi Collection series to note, since the majority of both collections originated in another medium (the former on magnetic reel-to-reel tape, the latter on 8mm film).

Even during the time when VHS tape was most popular, professionals often considered it a durable mass-consumption alternative to higher-quality forms of magnetic tape; for this reason, many professional recordings (such as those used in documentaries or news programs) also have Betamax, Betacam, or Digi-Beta (Digital Betacam) originals in the Oberlin College Archives.

Unfortunately, not all of the duplicates or originals are linked with their VHS copies. For those VHS tapes with accession numbers, duplicates can often be found by referencing the original accession record.

The videotape on reels cover a date range of 1971 to 1992, with some undated.  These were held by the Audiovisual Department until 2010 and 2017, and were used as course materials.

In 2017, the Audiovisual Department transferred all of their analog media holdings to the Archives, enlarging the videotape holdings from 29.82 to a total of 156.99 linear feet. This accession includes U-matic as well as VHS tapes and some reel-to-reel tapes. U-matic was one of the first video formats to contain videotape inside a cassette, released to the market in September 1971. The tape is 3/4 inches wide, and is often known as "three-quarter-inch" or "three-quarter." All of the tapes in this accession are arranged in Subgroup III rather than interfiled with tapes from previous accessions.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Subgroup I.  VHS Cassette Tapes, ca. 1940s–2009, n.d.  (156.99 l.f.)

          Series 1. Miscellaneous Recordings, 1940s–2009 (in date order)

          Though these recordings are, in fact, “miscellaneous” in that they are of various types and from various sources, Series 1 contains the bulk of 57/2. It is a sprawling collection of videotapes with content too singular and diverse for the tapes to be considered part of any already-existing series.

          Looking through the collection, certain themes do emerge. Oberlin, predictably, has been referenced in many documentaries focused on imperialism in Asia and on African American history. Some of those documentaries can be found in Series 1.

          Many panel discussions and lecturers brought by College Presidents S. Frederick Starr and Nancy Dye were also recorded. Those tapes can be found in Series 1 as well.

          Upon its relocation from the Yellow and Daub Houses to the complex across from the Hospital, the College Office of Communications gave a large accession [2009/052] that yielded many tapes documenting the design and construction of the Environmental Building (then tentatively called Charrette, now called the Adam Joseph Lewis Center) over the course of the 1990s.

          Some of the most interesting but also most perplexing tapes in Series 1 are recorded television newscasts from many Cleveland-area network affiliates (predominantly WUAB, formerly of Lorain, now of Cleveland). These tapes sometimes reference Oberlin College or the City of Oberlin, but other times do not. They will often focus on sensational but unexceptional Cleveland news that may have, at one time, held relevance to the Office of Communications or a particular Oberlin professor; in more cases than not, that relevance has been lost with time.

          Series 2. Serial Recordings, 1950s-2002

          Series 2 is made up of several subseries. Regardless of accession details, tapes with similar origins or shared content are grouped together to form each series.

                Subseries 1. Afrikan Heritage House, 1970s-1980s

                The Afrikan Heritage House recordings were made predominantly during the 1970s and 1980s on reel-to-reel magnetic tape, then transferred to VHS. They document some of the major speakers to visit Oberlin during the period to discuss the Civil Rights movement. The tapes include many peers of Martin Luther King, Jr., as well as other famous organizers, artists, poets, and journalists.

                Subseries 2. Black History Month, 1997

              A group of tapes documenting Black History Month, 1997. It appears these were created as part of the 1997 re-cut of “Follow the Morning Star” (see subseries 3, below).

                Subseries 3. “Follow the Morning Star” (iterations and copies), 1992, 1997

              All copies of “Follow the Morning Star,” a 1992 film about Oberlin College narrated by Bill Cosby. “Follow the Morning Star” was re-cut in 1997 to include several interviews with famous African American alumni – those interviews can be found in Series 1: Miscellaneous recordings, listed chronologically under ca. 1997 and the winter months of 1997. This subseries has cuts of both the 1992 and 1997 versions.

                Subseries 4. Oberlin Shansi Collection, 1928-1992

              A series of tapes regarding Oberlin’s involvement in China. The majority of the tapes are film reels from the early twentieth century that were transferred to VHS. It appeared all were produced for a 1992 documentary titled “The China Call.” Iterations of the finished documentary can be found in Series 1: Miscellaneous Recordings, listed chronologically in the 1992 section (also see 57/1 for film originals).

              Subseries 5. Of Scalpels, Scopes and Other Quests, 1998-99

              A series of interviews with doctors during 1998 and 1999, presumably for a documentary. There does not appear to be a final cut of the documentary in the collection.

              Subseries 6. Commercially-Produced Video Box Sets, 1999, 2002

              Box sets of television documentaries formerly owned by college faculty and administrators.

              Subseries 7. Oberlin Football, 1950-1961, 2001

              Football games and practices from 1950 to 1961 (transferred from film) and from Fall 2001.

          Series 3.  VHS Cassette Tapes from Accession 2017/005, 1982-2004, n.d.

<p style="margin-left:27.0pt;"> Series 3 consists of VHS cassette tapes transferred from the AV department in 2017.  These tapes cover a wide variety of topics.  Many document events held at Oberlin, including: commencement ceremonies, speakers and lectures, panel discussions, athletic games and events, and theater, dance, vocal, and instrumental performances from students and visiting artists.  Also included in this series are tapes of news reports, from both local Cleveland and national news stations, covering events held at Oberlin or featuring profiles and interviews of Oberlin faculty and students. Finally, the series includes tapes created by Oberlin students, faculty, and staff, often for student projects or class instruction, which document life at Oberlin in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.

Subgroup II.  Videotape on Reels, 1971-79, 1989, 1991-92, n.d. (6.25 l.f.)

This subgroup of teaching materials includes video recordings of theater and opera productions, Oberlin Orchestra performances, news broadcasts with Oberlin content, and lectures.

Subgroup III.  U-matic Tapes, 1977-90, 1992, n.d.  (5.33 l.f.)  [Accession 2017/005]

The U-matic tapes comprise 27 tapes dating from 1977 to 1992.  They include musical performances, visiting speakers, television broadcasts on Oberlin topics, and interviews.