This is my forty-second, and last, column on preservation for TSLL. I've decided the time has come for me to pass the baton to someone else who can inform you about the latest developments on the preservation front, in the war against acidic paper, carelessness, and disasters.

I first wrote in TSLL as the Chair of the TS Preservation Committee from 1983-87 (11 columns), and continued as the first column editor for preservation when asked by Editor Cindy Larter (now Cicco) in 1988. I have written 31 of these columns in the past eight years, missing only one.

The subjects of my columns have demonstrated the diversity of preservation. I have brought the following topics to the attention of the readers of TSLL: pamphlet binders (May and Aug. 1989); preservation photocopying (May 1990); Public Law 101-423 to establish a national policy on permanent paper (Feb. 1991); binding (May 1991); book repair (Aug. 1991); preservation awareness workshops (Sept. 1992); stacks maintenance (March 1993); the history of the TS Preservation Committee (June 1993); integrating preservation into other library operations (Dec. 1993); Cons Distlist -- conservation discussion list (Dec. 1994); recycled and acid-free papers (Mar. 1994 and Mar. 1995); disaster planning (Dec. 1995). In addition, I have made announcements of and written reports of numerous programs and workshops, reviewed books and videos, abstracted dozens of articles from preservation serials, and provided memorable quotes from other sources.

I have enjoyed writing the column over the years, coming up with informative topics which hopefully have inspired some of you to take action to preserve your materials. The column also shows what one person with a special interest, but little actual education or training in that area, can do, since preservation wasn't even mentioned when I was in library school (1977-78). I say this not to promote myself, but to inspire you to dream of what you can do with what interests you. Don't knock being self-taught and don't just defer to the experts. Learn, learn, learn. Then volunteer to share what you have learned. Pretty soon, others will think of you as an expert.

Here are some of the still relevant "Quarterly Quotes" which ended my columns from 1988-90:

"Librarians responsible for the binding of the library's collections lead staff in making conservation decisions about large numbers of materials. This responsibility should be fulfilled with reasonable, rather than arbitrary, processes."
Carol Fleischauer

"Alkaline paper can be mechanically weak [due to the use of short paper fibers]. What is needed is strong, durable paper, not just acid-free paper."
Paul Banks

"If we don't come to grips with what's happening to the printed word ... you might just as well forget about information access."
Pat Berger

"Librarians need to decide how long they want their collections to last and then determine what they can do to make them last that long."
Lisa Fox

"Losing a book from a college or university library because of slow deterioration or poor environmental conditions is short-sighted and bad economics."
Maxine Sitts

Sally Grauer, Executive Director of the Library Binding Institute, reports on the progress of the new standard for library binding in the February 1996 New Library Scene. The NISO (National Information Standards Organization) Standard Development Committee met at Midwinter to work on the second draft. No date for completion of the document is indicated, but Ms. Grauer states that, "the new document will be more broad based, giving both librarians and binders more options, with guidelines for making the necessary decisions."