ACRL College & Research Libraries News

College & Research Libraries News

Preservation News

Jane Hedberg

Jane Hedberg is preservation program officerat Harvard University Library, e-mail: jane_hedberg@harvard.edu; fax: (617) 496-8344

Video fact sheets

Eighteen fact sheets about videotape preservation, produced by the Preservation Committee of the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA), are available on the AMIA Web site. Written by Jim Wheeler of Tape Archival and Restoration Services, with the assistance of Peter Brothers of Specs Bros., LLC, and edited by Hannah Frost of Stanford University Libraries, the fact sheets offer up-todate advice about using and caring for videotape. Topics include: introduction to magnetic tape preservation, definitions, a brief history, structure and composition of videotape, estimating tape life, common tape problems, reformatting, environmental conditions, inspection, cleaning, equipment maintenance, rejuvenating unplayable tapes, staff training, disaster preparedness and response, transporting tapes, video processors and time base correctors, and do’s and don’ts of tape care.

The fact sheets are available at http://www. amianet.org/11_Information/11g_VidPres/ 11g_intro.html. For more information or to submit comments, contact Jim Wheeler at e-mail: jimwheeler@aol.com or Hannah Frost at e-mail: hfrost@stanford.edu.

Disaster recovery technical bulletin

The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) has published Disaster Recovery of Modern Information Carriers by Joe Iraci as number 25 in its technical bulletin series. This 16-page technical bulletin covers procedures for salvaging CDs, magnetic discs, and magnetic tapes after exposure to tap water, dirty water, sea water, heat, dust, dirt, mold, and shock. The salvage recommendations are based on information from case histories, advice from experts, and research done at CCI.

Copies are available for $10 each from Publications Sales, Canadian Conservation Institute, 1030 Innes Road, Ottawa ON K1A 0M5, Canada; phone: (613) 998-3721, ext. 250; email: cci-icc_publications@pch.gc.ca. They are also available through the CCI online bookstore at https://nt3.magma.ca/cci-icc/bookstore/indexe.cfm. Under “Other Publications and Products,” select “Technical Bulletins.”

Web-based tutorial

The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) and the Cornell University Library have produced an English-language, Webbased preservation tutorial specifically designed for cultural repositories in Southeast Asia. It begins with a self-assessment tool that facilitates determining the present level of preservation activities, creates a benchmark, and identifies any missing activities. It continues with narrative instruction that is divided into four sections. The first section, “Management and Planning,” covers care and handling, environment, security, and disasters. The second, “Preservation," covers the nature of materials, conservation, facilities, and reformatting. The third, “Building Capacity,” covers training, education, and collaboration. The fourth, “Supporting the Effort,” covers resources, funding, and public relations. CLIR and Cornell intend to adapt this tutorial for other regions of the world.

The tutorial is available at http://www. librarypreservation.org.

GRIP

The Nationaal Archief (national archives of the Netherlands) and the European Commission on Preservation and Access (ECPA) are cosponsoring the Gateway for Resources and Information on Preservation (GRIP). This Web site currently provides access to a database of more than 2,200 references to preservation publications, organizations, projects, activities, and discussion lists that will grow in the future. Each reference was selected for inclusion based on usefulness, currency, and broad appeal. When possible, the references are linked to online versions of the documents. The database can be searched by keyword or browsed by predefined topic.

GRIP is available at http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/ grip/. For more information or to recommend references, contact the European Commission on Preservation and Access, Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, GRIP editor-in-chief, Kloveniersburgwal 29, P.O. Box 19121, 1000 GC Amsterdam, the Netherlands; e-mail: grip@ bureau.knaw.nl. ■