CPA Newsletter #24, Jun 1990

The Commission on Preservation and Access
Newsletter
June 1990
Number 24

Preservation Seminar for Library Educators

Library directors, preservation specialists, and library educators will exchange perspectives regarding ways to integrate preservation into library school education during the Preservation Seminar for Library Educators to be held August 2-4, 1990 at Wye Plantation, MD. (See January 1990 newsletter for background information.)

Among the questions to be discussed over the three days are: What do library directors want library school graduates to know when they come to work in a research library?

• What does the future hold for preservation specialists?
• What do educators need to make it possible to include preservation in general courses?

The seminar will serve as a forum to develop recommendations for further Commission action. In addition, a report will be prepared for wide distribution.

In addition to members of the Commission's Task Force on Preservation Education, those invited to attend the seminar are:

Library Directors: Kathleen Moretto Spencer, Franklin and Marshall College: James Govan, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill: Joseph Rosenthal, University of California, Berkeley; Joanne Euster. Rutgers University; and Michele Cloonan (for Merrily Taylor), Brown University.

Library Educators: Josephine Fang, Simmons College; Judith Serebnick, Indiana University; Lois Upham, University of South Carolina.

Archivists: Brenda Banks. Georgia State Archives; Nicholas Burckel, Washington University.

Networks/Consortia: Bonnie Jurgens, AMIGOS; Lisa Fox, SOLINET.

Patricia Battin will represent the Commission at the event, which is being developed under a Commission contract with the Catholic University School of Library and Information Science, with assistance from the Task Force on Preservation Education.

Preservation Education Task Force members are: David B. Gracy II, Professor, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of Texas at Austin; Beverly P. Lynch, Dean, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, University of California, Los Angeles; Sally Roggia, Adjunct Professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of Wisconsin- Madison; Sally Buchanan, Adjunct Professor, School of Library and Information Science, University of Pittsburgh; Carolyn Harris, Assistant Professor, School of Library Service, Columbia University; and Deanna B. Marcum (chair), Dean, School of Library and Information Science, Catholic University of America.

To serve as the new electronic infrastructure of the university, the library must reevaluate its most traditional assumptions and become part of a seamless web of information providers....

Article by Patricia Battin, "The Real Electronic Library", in Information Technology Quarterly (Spring 1990, pp. 4-8), published by Harvard University, Office for Information Technology, 50 Church Street, Cambridge, MA 021 38.

Commission Publishes Updated Informational Brochure

The Commission has just published an updated brochure that describes the Commission's purpose and initiatives for 1990-91. The brochure calls attention to: the Brittle Books program; selection of materials for preservation; research and projects in technology; improvement of the quality of materials being produced now and in the future; collaboration with existing groups--including archives--to accomplish the preservation agenda; establishment of an international database of preservation records; integration of preservation into libraries, archives and library school education; and expansion of the public's access to preserved materials.

The brochure also lists the Commission's sponsors, members, committees and task forces. It is available upon written request to Trish Cece, Communications Assistant. If you're requesting multiple copies, please let us know how you plan to use them.

Working Meeting on International Register of Microform Masters

As part of the International Project supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Commission held a working meeting on the development of an international register of microform masters May 13-16, in Zurich, Switzerland. (See February 1990 newsletter for background information.) Participants were those individuals with national responsibilities for planning and implementing bibliographic control for reformatted materials.

The institutions and representatives expected at the event included:

Jean-Marie Arnoult, Director of Preservation,
Bibliothèque Nationale,
Paris, France

Peter Baader,
Director of User Services,
Deutsche Bibliothek, Frankfurt am Main

David Clements,
Director of Preservation Services,
British Library, London, England

Tom Delsey, Director,
Acquisitions and Bibliographic Services Branch,
National Library of Canada, Ottawa, Canada

Guadalupe Lopez, Director,
Technical and Bibliographical Services,
Biblioteca Nacional, Caracas, Venezuela

Ulrich Montag,
Director of User Services, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek,
Munich, Federal Republic of Germany

Monika Richter,
Coordinator of the German Microfilm Project, Stadt- und Universitütsbibliothek,
Frankfurt am Main, Federal Republic of Germany

Heiner Schnelling,
Director of the Universitütsbibliothek, Justus-Liebig-Universitüt,
Giessen, Federal Republic of Germany

Reinhard Spiller,
Deutsches Bibliotheksinstitut,
Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany

Wolfgang Wächter,
Director of Conservation,
Deutsche Bücherei, Leipzig, German Democratic Republic
Osterreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna, Austria

With a basic objective of developing an international online compatible database of bibliographic records of preserved items, the meeting participants first looked at the status and numbers of records available and projects in progress. They also analyzed obstacles to creating such a shared database and examined possible specifications and standards for its operation. Possibilities for database coordination and management, economics, and other operational mechanics also were discussed. It is hoped that the group will develop a set of recommendations to the Commission regarding general problem areas and specific projects for future action.

Our books and journals are designed not just for data retrieval, but for browsing, thinking, reading, and connections between people and ideas....Access means more than mere physical location. It means the connection of ideas to people.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Airs Turning To Dust

On March 14 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation aired "Turning to Dust," a program about the preservation of brittle books, as part of the series, "The Nature of Things." The Commission's consultant for the International Project, Hans Rütimann, was featured in the documentary, and several United States preservation organizations including the Commission were cited in the closing credits as contributors. The 60-minute program is available on VHS, Beta or 3/4 inch format. It also is expected to be shown on cable channels in this country. For ordering information, contact CBC Enterprises, Educational Sales, Box 500, Station A, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5W IE6; (416) 975-3505.

Commission Member Named College Librarian

Richard De Gennaro, director of New York Public Library, has been named the Roy E. Larsen Librarian of Harvard College, effective June 1. De Gennaro, who is a member of the Commission, has been with New York Public Library since 1987, and before that time was director of libraries at the University of Pennsylvania for 16 years. His new position will entail the management of more than 7.5 million volumes, 67 individual libraries and a staff of 400.

Preservation Microfilming Services Expand

Three preservation microfilming organizations have announced expanded services over the past several months, in support of nation,vide initiatives to step up efforts to capture, store, and provide access to the embrittled materials in libraries and archives. On March 1, 1990, the Mid-Atlantic Preservation Service (MAPS) in Bethlehem, PA, moved into a new micrographics laboratory that includes 26 cameras, two high-volume film processors, and separate duplication facilities for silver and diazo films. MAPS also added a specially designed vault for storage of up to 400,000 printing masters. (Archives masters will not be accepted for permanent storage.)

Earlier this year, University Microfilms International (UMI) in Ann Arbor, MI, announced the creation of a new Preservation Division to serve the needs of librarians and other institutions working to preserve brittle books and newspapers. The division is dedicated to microfilming material in danger of irreparable damage due to brittleness.

Research Publications (RP) in Woodbridge, CT, also has moved into the field of custom preservation microfilming, with its announcement of a full range of... services." RP is providing physical and editorial preparation services, as well as duplication and distribution of reader copies and cataloging records.

Retrospective Preservation Microfilm Records Being Made Available on RLIN Database

Locating records of preservation microfilm created between 1965 and 1983 and obtaining copies of them will become much easier over the next several months, as the Research Libraries Information Network (RLIN) adds records from the National Register of Microform Masters (NRMM) to its online database. A hefty 15 percent of the 400,000 NRMM records have been added to the network and are now available for searching. The loaded records include all main entries beginning with the letters "A" and "B," through "Beal." As records are added to the database, they receive new information that enables searchers to determine which institution holds the master negative, so that they can be contacted for a copy of the film.

Libraries currently doing preservation microfilming will benefit from the new online capability, since the time required to search through listings of available microfilms in order to avoid duplicate filming is expected to be reduced by more than 50 percent. The 400,000 NRMM records will join another 370.000 records for microfilm master negatives already in the RLIN system. These include records from RLG members, other RLIN users, OCLC the British Library, University Microfilms International, and the American Theological Library Association.

Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them.

Ralph Waldo Emerson Essays: Second Series

College Libraries Committee Supports Centralized Microform Storage and Access

The College Libraries Committee expressed strong support for centralized microform storage and access services during its fourth meeting on April 23. Since college libraries are expected to be among the primary users of preservation microfilm, they would prefer to deal with as few sources as possible when purchasing materials, according to the committee, which urged the Commission to move forward with explorations of such services.

The committee also declared its support for the environmental conditions course for librarians/archivists and plant managers, to be held by the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA), February 28-March 1, 1991, in Washington, DC. The course is being developed in cooperation with the Commission.

Louise Sutherland from the Office of Library Programs of the U.S. Department of Education met with the committee to discuss Title IIC preservation grant possibilities. In an effort to encourage a higher number of preservation-related applications for this program, she explained eligibility requirements and the process of grant selection. A 1986 amendment makes it possible for libraries that do not qualify as a "major research library" to be eligible based on special collections in their holdings.

In other developments, the committee is publishing a regular column in College and Research Libraries News to further spread knowledge about preservation activities to college and university library personnel beyond its immediate contacts. The committee also is developing a workshop for college librarians with part-time responsibilities for preservation in a joint effort with SOLINET. As it now stands, the workshop is planned for seven days in July 1991 in Atlanta. Although the exact cost has not been set, it is expected to be about $1200. The next College Libraries Committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, December 3, 1990.

Members of the College Libraries Committee are: Willis E. Bridegam, Librarian, Amherst College; Barbara J. Brown, University Librarian, Washington Lee University; Joel Clemmer, Library Director, Macalester College; David Cohen, Director of Libraries, College of Charleston; Caroline M. Coughlin, Library Director, Drew University; Michael Haeuser. Director of Learning Resources and Head Librarian. Gustavus Adolphus College; Jacquelyn M. Morns, College Librarian, Occidental College; and Kathleen M. Spencer (chair). Library Director, Franklin Marshall College.

Panelists Review Proposal on Mass Deacidification for Library of Congress

The Library of Congress (LC) recently convened ten preservation professionals to review a request for proposal (RFP) for mass deacidification of its paper-based book and document collections. The panelists, who included Patricia Battin, were asked to comment on the technical performance requirements and to suggest improvements. LC's efforts in saving brittle paper are three-fold, according to a recent statement: encouraging the manufacture and use of permanent paper, microfilming, and in the future, mass deacidification.

Medline and Index Medicus Identify Permanent Paper

In January 1990 the National Library of Medicine began to identify journals indexed in MEDLINE and Index Medicus that are printed on alkaline paper. The notation "ACID FREE" appears after the ISSN of the journal. The announcement was reported in the January-February I 990 issue of the National Library of Medicine News.

Giant Brittle Book Exhibit Hits the Road

The Giant Brittle Book exhibit was featured at the grand opening of the Washington Research Library Consortium (WRLC) on March 31 in Lanham, Maryland. "Slow Fires: On the Preservation of the Human Record" also was shown at the event. University officials, library directors and federal, state and county politicians were among those present. WRLC is an inter-university collaborative effort that supports the acquisition, organization, access, and dissemination of information and library resources and services. Its mission includes planning and implementing a program of preservation and conservation of informational materials.

Last month the exhibit traveled to Atlanta, Georgia, at Southeastern Library Network's (SOLINET) Annual Membership Meeting on May 3 and 4. The meeting focused on "Libraries and Networks: Threshold of a New Decade." The brittle book exhibit also headed north to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference (MARAC) on May 18 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. The theme of the meeting was "Preservation in the Nineties." Maxine Sitts chaired a discussion panel on "Cooperative Preservation Initiatives" during the conference.

The Commission on Preservation and Access was established in 1986 to foster and support collaboration among libraries and allied organizations in order to ensure the preservation of the published and documentary record in all formats and to provide enhanced access to scholarly information.

The Newsletter reports on cooperative national and international preservation activities and is written primarily for university administrators and faculty, library and archives administrators, preservation specialists and administrators, and representatives of consortia, governmental bodies, and other groups sharing in the Commission's goals. The Newsletter is not copyrighted; its duplication and distribution are encouraged.

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