Dead Formats: Film & Video

The Gardencrafters

16mm film reel  ​

Accessioned in 1981 to the Records of the Education Department (part of the NYBG Institutional Archives) ​

According to The Gardencrafters Vegetable Cookbook (1973), The Gardencrafters was “a children’s gardening program initiated in 1956.” The program “afford[ed] young people within the New York metropolitan area an opportunity to grow vegetables and flowers in their own garden plots at The New York Botanical Garden.” 

VHS tapes from the Archives and General Research Collection  

The first functional VHS prototype was created by JVC engineers Yuma Shiraishi and Shizuo Takano. The media format gained popularity throughout the 1970s and 1980s, eventually becoming the go-to choice for both home recordings and commercial film releases in many countries. After the introduction of DVDs in 1997, VHS sales slowly declined until the last company producing them halted operations in 2016. However, VHS tapes have retained a cult following, both by those who prefer its nostalgic qualities and by those seeking rare copies of films that are not available on DVD or online. In October 2024, 20th Century Fox announced that there would be a limited VHS release of the film Alien: Romulus. It was the first major Hollywood film to be released on VHS since A History of Violence in 2006.

From left: ​

Weather Segments from the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden at the NYBG ​

Maxell VHS tape ​

Recorded November 29th, 2002 at 7:00am for WABC Eyewitness News​

23 minutes ​

The Library of N.Y. Botanical Garden ​

Scotch T-30 VHS tape ​

Recorded October 7th, 1988 ​

30 minutes ​

​

How Does Your Garden Grow: Roses ​

Starring and directed by John Ott ​

Produced 1982 by John Ott Pictures, Inc. ​

26 minutes ​

​

Brilliant Gardens ​

Produced by Nigel Farrell ​

Copyright 1993. Produced in association with Botanic Gardens Conservation International by Tadpole Lane Productions, Ltd. ​

60 minutes ​

​

Plant Life for Children: All About Plant Structure & Growth ​

Produced and directed by Stone House Productions, LLC ​

Copyright 2000 by Schlessinger Media ​

23 minutes ​

Panasonic PV-V4524S 4-Head Hi-Fi VCR 

VHS tapes are at a high risk of degradation due to loss of magnetic charge and/or brittleness and breakage. The Mertz Library recently acquired this VCR to allow limited access to our VHS tape collections, which were previously unusable. We will be using the VCR to assess the content and condition of the collections and determine potential candidates for digitization.