Preservation

1
PreservationConservation
2
A Key CM Responsibility

• stewardship role of libraries
• replacing materials
• storing materials
• reformatting materials
• binding materials, protective covers
• repair, conservation
• levels of preservation activity depending on type
  of library and materials

3
Ongoing preservation activities include

• Proper handling of materials by staff and
  clientele
• Environmental control
• Security to prevent theft mutilation
• Disaster preparedness manuals training
• Binding policies
• Appropriate insurance coverage
• Preservation is difficult because of tight
  budgets

4
Proper handling of physical materials

• Your shelvers are key to this initiative
• Keep shelves no more than 2/3 full
• Spend LOTS of money on bookdrop design
• Discourage enthusiastic photocopying and
  scanning

5
Environmental control considerations

• The comfort zone for humans is different from the
  comfort zone for library materials
• lighting considerations
• temperature
• humidity

6
Environmental Control Considerations cont.

• Architects love various types of light and dim
  designer lighting effects, but
• design and function should try and balance needs
  of users and needs of materials

7
Environmental Control Considerations cont.

• Assorted wildlife love library materials
• Silverfish, termites, cockroaches, bookworms,
  rats, mice

8
Security

• Problems escalated when we let the clientele into
  the stacks
• More entrances/exits higher risk
• Open windows higher risk
• Balance between welcoming space and security needs

9
Disaster Planning

• Have a disaster plan
• Maintain a readily accessible set of blueprints
  showing water pipes, electrical wires/circuits
• Plan for which materials are a priority

10
Disaster Planning

• Be ready for fires, floods, earthquakes
• 70 of library fires are deliberately set
• Often linked to a break-in or vandalism
• More damage caused by water from sprinklers or
  hoses
• Flood waters are often dirty polluted
• Earthquake damage is often water damage

11
Insurance

• Very difficult area for collection managers
• Insurance companies do not want to insure
  materials that cannot be replaced easily
• Difficult to agree on the value of the collection
• Always have an up-to-date copy of the catalogue
  off-site

12
Brittle paper

• 1840s - acid cellulose embrittlement
• high humidity, temp and pollution key ingredients
  for deterioration
• acid-free paper - new standards
• reformatting efforts - microfilm, digitization

13
Conservation

• Deacidification
• sometimes not an option
• too brittle?
• Two common methods
• Wei To (National Library of Canada)
• DEZ (Library of Congress)
• Digitization
• not always an option
• cost/condition of materials

14
Digital content

• Digital content
• solves some security issues such as vandalism
• raises new issues about long-term preservation
• remember that digital materials can be vulnerable
  to disaster, including sabotage
• back-up servers off-site
• access may be interrupted
• collecting on the edge - preserving materials
  out of the formal publishing cycle