With the resurgence of vinyl records and, yes, even cassette tapes, multimedia storage is a renewed priority for lovers of music, art, and culture. Whether you have a book collection that would make any public library jealous or a stack of DVDs you want to save because, fingers crossed, they may be worth something someday, the right approach to multimedia storage can help preserve your collection for years to come. Freeing up space in your home to grow your collection doesn’t hurt, either.

Soft Cases Save Space

For those who want to save space, both at home and in a self storage unit, consider transferring all your CDs and DVDs to a soft-case binder with sheets for your discs. These soft cases help protect your favorite albums and movies from scratches without the bulkiness of the hard cases. Of course, for some collectors, the artwork and physical case mean just as much to their collection as the media itself.

Consider Climate-Controlled Storage

Collectors of vinyl records, books, art, and music memorabilia take pride in keeping their items in mint condition. We recommend climate-controlled self storage to help preserve your record collection longer. Too much moisture can cause mold and mildew growth in record sleeves, which could also disintegrate. Heat causes permanent damage to multimedia collections of all kinds – potentially warping the plastic to the point it will no longer play. Climate-controlled storage keeps your collection within a set temperature range in order to create the ideal environment. Click here to find a Storage Etc. location with climate-controlled units near you.

Choose the Right Boxes

This tip is particularly important, especially for vinyl record collectors. The best boxes to store your multimedia collection are approximately the same size as the records. This ensures they don’t jostle around and aren’t packed too tightly. We recommend milk crates or similarly sized boxes for vinyl record storage. Your collection should be secured in the box, but not too tightly. And always avoid stacking your records, as the weight could cause them to warp or crack.

Transfer Physical Media to Digital Before Moving to Self Storage

It’s always a good idea to back up your media, or in this case to transfer your physical media to digital to safeguard against unforeseen events. Transfer the content of your CDs and DVDs to a USB thumb drive, cloud storage, or an external hard drive in order to keep your data safe. You can still watch your favorite movies and listen to your favorite songs digitally while the physical originals are stored in your storage unit.

Looking for more storage and organization tips? Check out the Storage Etc. blog.