ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Preservation Hews

Submissions for this column may be made to: Jane Hedberg, Wellesley College Library, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02181-8275; (617) 283-2103; JHEDBÈRG@LUCYWF.I.LESLEY.EDU. Submission deadline is the 15th of the month and precedes publication by approximately six weeks.

Commission distributes research projects

The Commission on Preservation and Access (CPA) is distributing descriptions of three research projects which it would like to see undertaken in the near future. The projects were developed after extensive discussion of preservation research needs by the CPA’s Preservation Science Council, a group of distinguished preservation administrators and scientists.

The first project would utilize accelerated aging methods under different temperature and relative humidity conditions to produce life expectancy predictions for five types of paper commonly found in libraries or archives. The second would review the current status of research on longevity and durability of magnetic media and identify research necessary to develop preservation management tools. The third would assess the effects of lignin in paper. The commission will release descriptions of two more projects, on the effects of microclimates and on the performance of polyvinyl acetate adhesives, in the future.

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has already funded a sixth project on storage practices and enclosures for film collections in libraries or archives. The Image Permanence Institute (IPI) at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York will conduct a three-year study on how film reacts to temperature and relative humidity fluctuations during storage and on how enclosures accelerate or decelerate the deterioration of acetate film supports. The results should provide clear recommendations for the best practices to preserve microfilm, movie film, and sheet film.

For more information, contact Maxine K. Sitts, Commission on Preservation and Access, 1400 16th Street, N.W., Suite 740, Washington, DC 20036-2217; (202) 939-3400; e-mail: msitts@ cni.org.

Commission completes microfilm audit

CPA funded and organized a pilot project in 1992-93 to test the quality of first- and third- generation microfilm. One percent of the master negatives created by the Harvard, Yale, and Ohio State University Librar- ies for the National Endow- ment for the Humanities’ Brittle Books Program was examined by an indepen- dent contractor.

Wesley Boomgaarden, preservation officer at Ohio State University, has re- ported that the audit was valuable and helped each of the libraries improve its cur- rent microfilming program. The pilot project partici- pants suggested a number of characteristics that should be examined by the national audit program which the commis- sion is working to establish.

Indiana offers preservation institutes

The Institute for Preservation & the Book Arts at Indiana University will offer five week-long institutes during the summer of 1994, two of which will cover preservation topics. “Preventive Conservation” will be taught by Jim Canary and Danae Thimme and held June 13-17. It will provide a basic introduction to protection of collections which are on display, in storage, or in transit and emphasize prevention or mitigation of damage. “Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Library and Archive Collections” will be taught by Lorraine Olley and Jo Burgess and held July 25-29. It will focus on management issues and also provide practical experience through a simulated disaster. This course is intended for librarians and archivists at small institutions with limited access to disaster preparedness expertise and resources.

Tuition ($350 for Preventive Conservation and $395 for Disaster Preparedness) covers all instructional materials, refreshments, and opening reception. Housing, parking, and meals are not included. For more information, contact Jane Clay, Division of Continuing Studies, Owen Hall 204, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405; (812) 855-6329; JCLAY@INDIANA.EDU.