End-of-support for VHS

Planned end-of-support for VHS
Since our initial end-of-support notice last March, Library and EdTech have been working diligently on digitizing the College’s remaining collection of VHS tapes. We are anticipating that come September 2018, most VHS media should be available on DVDs or online. At which point, technical support will no longer be provided for the use of VHS players.

Why are we ending support for VHS?
Video Home System (VHS) is an analogue technology developed in the early 1970s. The last known VHS company ceased production of VHS equipment in 2016. The continuing use of VHS technology in classrooms not only presents challenges in terms of hardware supply and ongoing maintenance, but also when integrating with modern audio visual control systems. The combined usage of VHS tapes and DVDs in classrooms accounts for less than 2% of all classroom technology uses, and with many viable higher-fidelity digital alternatives, we decided that it was time to discontinue support.

Maintaining physical VHS tapes in the media collection also poses challenges to the Library in terms of maintenance and preservation. The Library is taking this opportunity to ensure the College is providing a more up to date and accessible media collection. The Library is replacing VHS titles that are still in use with DVD and streaming access wherever possible and finding new titles to meet instructor needs as requested, and is committed to developing a more current and relevant media collection in the process.

What does this mean for me?
Starting from 01 September 2018, the maintenance and replacement of all existing VHS players will no longer be available via AV Services. The Library’s media collection will also no longer house any VHS tapes. Going forward, there is a plan in place to upgrade all legacy classrooms in the next five years, which includes replacing the remaining VHS players with Blu-ray/DVD players.

If you have any questions, please get in touch with the departments and personnel listed below:

• For inquiries relating to converting VHS tapes to DVDs and digital files, contact EdTech (edtech@langara.ca)
• For inquiries relating to the Library’s VHS collection, contact Amelia Clarkson (aclarkson@langara.ca)

For general inquiries, or to book a quick tutorial on how to operate a classroom presentation system, please submit an IT Help ticket.