ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Preservation News

Jane Hedberg

LC mounts TV/Video study on Web

The Library of Congress has mounted the first four volumes of the five-volume Television/Video Study on its National Film Preservation Board Web site. This extensive study, which consists of a report, transcripts of public hearings and written statements, documents how television’s audiovisual record of the twentieth century is at risk and how much has already been lost. This loss is due, primarily, to two causes: television stations did not systematically record and archive all their programs and videotape is not a permanent storage medium. The report’s recommendations include, donation of a portion of the proceeds from FCC broadcast-spectrum auctions to video archives, creation of a private-sector organization to raise funds for video preservation, and establishment of a center to study video preservation and maintain equipment capable of copying obsolete formats. A 358K ASCII version of the report (volume 1), along with the public hearing transcripts (volumes 2-4), can be found on the LC Web site at http://lcweb.loc.gov/film under the heading New Projects. The report may also be purchased from the Government Printing Office. For more information contact Steve Leggett at LC; phone: (202) 707-5912; fax: (202) 707-2371; e-mail: sleg@loc.gov.

CLIR sponsors digital archives investigation

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) has asked Jeff Rothenberg of the RAND Corporation to undertake a six- month study of digital archiving. Working with an advisory group from the Digital Library Federation (formerly the National Digital Library Federation) and the Association of Research Libraries’ Preservation Committee, he will survey current digital preservation efforts, consider technological strategies to solve the problem of software dependence and select the most promising solutions. He will also examine the organizational, administrative and economic consequences of potential solutions. This study is the initial phase of a larger CLIR project in digital preservation. Mr. Rothenberg is the author of “Ensuring the Longevity of Digital Documents,” which was published in the January 1995 issue of Scientific American‚ Vol. 272, no. 1: pp. 42-47.

SOLINET loans av materials

Preservation Services of the Southeastern Library Network (SOLINET) has a collection of audiovisual materials about preservation, which are suitable for staff or reader education and are available for loan. A list of the programs can be found on SOLINET’s Web site at http://www.solinet.net/presvtn/avls/ avintro.htm. Borrowing institutions do not need to be located in the southeastern part of the United States to use this service. For more information, contact Christine Wiseman at SOLINET, 1438 W. Peachtree Street NW, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30309- 2955; phone: (800) 999-8558; fax: (404) 892- 7879; e-mail: cwiseman@solinet.net.

CLIR changes publications program

The Council on Library and Information Resources announced that it has altered the publication program of the Commission on Preservation and Access. The monthly commission newsletter was ceased December 1997 and was replaced January 1998 with a bimonthly CLIR newsletter. In spring 1998, CLIR will inaugurate a quarterly preservation newsletter intended primarily for readers outside the United States. The Research Briefs series, which reports on the status of CLIR projects, and the special reports, for which the commission was so well-known, will continue largely as before. Special reports scheduled for 1998 include an overview of preservation reformatting and a position paper on the advantages and disadvantages of digitizing library materials. The full text of many CLIR and Commission publications can be found on their Web sites at http://www.clir.org. ■

Jane Hedberg prepares this column for the College Libraries Committee, Commission on Preservation and Access. Submissions may be made to Jane Hedberg, Wellesley College; jhedberg@wellesley.edu; fax: (781) 283-2103