ACRL College & Research Libraries News

Association of College & Research Libraries

Preservation News

Jane Hedberg Jane Hedberg prepares this column for the College Libraries Committee, Commission on Preservation and Access. Items for this column are welcomed, and can be submitted via Internet: JHEDBERG® LUCY. WELLESLEY.EDU; Fax (617) 239-1139; phone (617) 235-0320x2103; or mail: Jane Hedberg, Wellesley College Library, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02181-8275-

Be sure to read “Preserving the nation’s intellectual heritage: A synthesis” by Sheny Byrne and Barbara Van Deventer in this issue of the News. It concisely reviews the role of major ARL libraries in the National Preser- vation Program and contains some interesting recommenda- tions for the future. The News hopes this article will engender discussion about the role of all libraries in preserving our intel- lectual heritage.

AALL develops preservation program

The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) has developed recommendations, guidelines, and prototypes for a national program to address the special preservation problems of law libraries. The program will be implemented using AALL’s existing committee structure and is designed to raise “preservation consciousness” by involving a cross-section of its membership.

The recommendations for this program appear in American Association of Law Libraries’ Special Committee on Preservation Needs of Law Libraries: Report and Recommendations, which also includes assessments of the current condition of law library collections, the status of law library preservation programs, and the special preservation problems faced by law libraries. This report is available as an occasional paper from AALL, 53 W. Jackson, Chicago, IL 60604.

CPA sponsors preservation science workshop

The Commission on Preservation and Access and Peter G. Sparks, former director of preservation at the Library of Congress, are developing a two-day invitational workshop on preservation science to be held in September 1992. Fourteen preservation administrators and a group of scientists engaged in preservation research will discuss how scientific research can inform preservation decision-making and problem-solving. The workshop has two important objectives: to provide preservation administrators with a better understanding of scientific research and its uses, and to provide scientists with a research agenda of specific technical problems.

Bentley Award sup- ports archives pres- ervation seminar

Dr. Margaret Child has re- ceived a Research Fellow- ship for the Study of Mod- ern Archives from the Bentley Historical Library of the University of Michigan. The fellowship supports a four-day preservation semi- nar for archivists which will focus on appraisal, docu- mentation strategy, chang- ing institutional practice, and developing a national preservation plan for archives. Attendees have already been se- lected on the basis of their interest in these issues.

CPA plans preservation microfilm distribution facility

The Commission on Preservation and Access has received six responses to its request for a proposal for management of a preservation microfilm distribution facility. The central facil- ity is needed to provide cost-effective access to the 450,000 titles which will be preserved on microfilm by the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Ac- cess Brittle Books program.

Fox reports on NARA meeting

Lisa Fox, Manager of Preservation Field Ser- vices at SOLINET, has prepared a two-page summary of several presentations made at the National Archives and Records Administration Annual Preservation Conference in March 1992. New research on environmental standards for paper-based materials and effective fire pro- tection for compact shelving is of particular interest to librarians. Free copies of the sum- mary are available from SOLINET, 1438 West Peachtree Street NW, Suite 200, Atlanta, GA 30309-2955; (800) 999-8558. ■