Patent ID: 8675301

Claim:
A tape cartridge library comprising: a first tape cartridge possessing a first recording tape medium and a second tape cartridge possessing a second recording tape medium; a plurality of data transfer drives each adapted to form a cooperating relationship with the first and the second tape cartridges to transfer data to and from the first and the recording tape medium and the second recording medium, respectively; at least one tape cleaning drive incapable of transferring data to and from the first recording tape medium and the second recording tape medium and independent of the plurality of data transfer drives, the tape cleaning drive disposed entirely within the tape cartridge library, wherein the tape cleaning drive automatically receives the first tape cartridge and cleans the first recording tape medium when a predetermined reason for cleaning the first tape cartridge is justified; wherein the predetermined reason is justified when error detections of the data reaches a predetermined error detection limit, which is a number of error detections in an isolated area on the first tape recording medium during a reading operation when the first tape cartridge is engaged in the cooperating relationship with one of the data transfer drives.