Preservation Microfilming
Preservation Microfilming

Author: Association of Research Libraries

Publisher: American Library Association

Published: 1996

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 9780838906538

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This guide presents information on planning and managing microfilming projects, incorporating co-operative programmes, service bureaux and the impact of automation for library staff with deteriorating collections.

Double Fold
Double Fold

Author: Nicholson Baker

Publisher: Vintage

Published: 2002-08-13

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 1400033047

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The ostensible purpose of a library is to preserve the printed word. But for fifty years our country’s libraries–including the Library of Congress–have been doing just the opposite, destroying hundreds of thousands of historic newspapers and replacing them with microfilm copies that are difficult to read, lack all the color and quality of the original paper and illustrations, and deteriorate with age. With meticulous detective work and Baker’s well-known explanatory power, Double Fold reveals a secret history of microfilm lobbyists, former CIA agents, and warehouses where priceless archives are destroyed with a machine called a guillotine. Baker argues passionately for preservation, even cashing in his own retirement account to save one important archive–all twenty tons of it. Written the brilliant narrative style that Nicholson Baker fans have come to expect, Double Fold is a persuasive and often devastating book that may turn out to be The Jungle of the American library system.

Preservation of Historical Records
Preservation of Historical Records

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 1986-02-01

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 030903681X

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With discussion on how paper conservation procedures work, how they are put to use, and how deterioration may be prevented, this comprehensive volume examines how vast quantities of documentation can best be preserved. It provides detailed information and recommendations about various preservation methods, including mechanical copying, photographic film, magnetic recording, and optical disk recording, and on the expected useful lives of each. Also included are a method for scoring and assessing the condition of collections and a decision tree that provides a guide for orderly progress in preserving a collection of documents. Printed on permanent, acid-free paper.

Magnetic Tape Storage and Handling
Magnetic Tape Storage and Handling

Author: John William Chapman Van Bogart

Publisher: Washington, D.C. : Commission on Preservation and Access

Published: 1995

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13:

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This document provides a guide on how to properly store and care for magnetic media to maximize their life expectancies. An introduction compares magnetic media to paper and film and outlines the scope of the report. The second section discusses things that can go wrong with magnetic media. Binder degradation, magnetic particle instabilities, substrate deformation, magnetic tape recorders; and format issues are highlighted in this section. The third and fourth sections cover preventing information loss with multiple tape copies, costs, and how long magnetic media will last. In the fifth section, care and handling, storage conditions and standards, and refreshing of tapes are described for preventing magnetic tape from degrading prematurely. An appendix provides the Ampex Guide to the Care and Handling of Magnetic Tape, an estimation of life expectancies, sources for further reading, resources for transfer and restoration of video and audio tape, and a glossary. (AEF)

LC21
LC21

Author: National Research Council

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2001-01-23

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 0309171687

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Digital information and networks challenge the core practices of libraries, archives, and all organizations with intensive information management needs in many respectsâ€"not only in terms of accommodating digital information and technology, but also through the need to develop new economic and organizational models for managing information. LC21: A Digital Strategy for the Library of Congress discusses these challenges and provides recommendations for moving forward at the Library of Congress, the world's largest library. Topics covered in LC21 include digital collections, digital preservation, digital cataloging (metadata), strategic planning, human resources, and general management and budgetary issues. The book identifies and elaborates upon a clear theme for the Library of Congress that is applicable more generally: the digital age calls for much more collaboration and cooperation than in the past. LC21 demonstrates that information-intensive organizations will have to change in fundamental ways to survive and prosper in the digital age.

Why Digitize?
Why Digitize?

Author: Abby Smith

Publisher: Council on Library & Information Resources

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 26

ISBN-13:

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This paper is a response to discussions of digitization at meetings of the National Humanities Alliance (NHA). NHA asked the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to evaluate the experiences of cultural institutions with digitization projects to date and to summarize what has been learned about the advantages and disadvantages of digitizing culturally significant materials. Findings revealed that digitization often raises expectations of benefits, cost reductions, and efficiencies that can be illusory and, if not viewed realistically, have the potential to put at risk the collections and services libraries have provided for decades. One such false expectation--that digital conversion has already or will shortly replace microfilming as the preferred medium for preservation reformatting--could result in irreversible losses of information. This paper defines digital information; identifies weaknesses of digitization as a preservation treatment; discusses the benefits and drawbacks of digital technology for access; and highlights issues institutions must consider in contemplating a digital conversion project. (AEF)