Noting that there has been a dramatic increase in the use of videotape in recent years, this paper explores videotape's potential as an archival medium. It is suggested that the nation's current videotape holdings should be surveyed to better define the relative importance of the records already documented, to identify records not previously known to exist, and to draw attention to little-known and potentially untapped veins of historically valuable videotapes. A discussion of videotape standards indicates how standards need to be developed in the areas of compatibility of formats and permanence. It is also noted that, while there are a number of appropriate videotape uses, it would be inappropriate to use videotape as the sole source for recording information of permanent value unless suitable preservation activities were undertaken. An overview of videotape preservation methods is given, followed by a discussion of environmental conditions, handling and storage procedures, and the importance of preserving the technology that processes the videotapes. (13 references) (MAB)