From the TS Preservation Committee Pat Turpening University of Cincinnati College of Law pat.turpening@law.uc.edu

BRITTLE PAPER IN OUR BOOKS IS CRUMBLING!

HURRICANE WARNINGS AND WE DON'T HAVE A DISASTER PLAN!

LIBRARY DIRECTOR WON'T SPEND FUNDS FOR BOOK REPAIR, ONLY FOR CD-ROMS!

BOUND PERIODICALS RAZOR-BLADED!

These disasters (and more) can and do happen every day in every one of our libraries. Some are obvious and immediate, others nearly invisible and more easily ignored, but they can be mitigated (not litigated!) by librarians taking positive action in their own libraries and collectively through professional associations.

If you are interested in knowing more about library preservation, in delving into Web sites devoted to the topic, in educating others about what you learn and can discover, please contact Pat Turpening, the Chair of the TS-SIS Preservation Committee. Since the Association-level Preservation Committee was abolished by the Executive Board last July, ours is now the only entity in AALL addressing preservation issues. What was once the hot topic is now becoming forgotten in the wave of CD-ROM this and technology that. However, preservation issues/concerns/ problems still exist and still need solutions. I know you all are very busy at your libraries and it's hard to find time for committee work, but if you can find the time, I assure you that you will be rewarded by knowing that you have taken action to delay the ravages of time on the law books of America! As you can see, I can get carried away with this subject but only because I believe it is so important for all of us and our libraries.

These are some of the Preservation Committee's project ideas, which await diligent volunteers:

1. Find out which states have preservation offices and what services they offer. Do they have Web sites?

2. Find out what services are offered by regional centers such as SOLINET, AMIGOS, and NEDCC. What are the costs? Are they available only for libraries in their areas?

3. Compile an annotated list of preservation-related Web sites.

4. Investigate the status of preservation efforts in GPO.

5. Start and maintain a clearinghouse of disaster plans and preservation policies. Put them on AALLNET or the TS site.

6. Compile a list of print and online sources with current preservation information, such as journals with regular columns on preservation.

I will help you as much as I can on any of these projects, others I have thought of, or any other good ideas. If you are interested but don't have a lot of knowledge, that's OK start with what you know and learn more. I'll work with you, whatever your learning curve. You don't have to be a member of the Committee, or even TS-SIS. Anyone in AALL can work on the TS-SIS Preservation Committee.