2016 – 2018

2016 – 2018 PRESERVATION TIPS

In honor of Preservation Week and the 30th Anniversary of the Preservation Standing Committee, the Committee introduced a monthly feature, the “Preservation Tip of the Month,” in April 2013. The monthly tip, sent as an e-mail via the TS-SIS discussion list, highlights tricks, resources, and collections to help you reach your preservation goals.

2018

December 2018

The MetaArchive Cooperative is a community of libraries that runs a distributed digital preservation network. If you have ever been interested in learning more about their activities, or getting the latest updates on their available resources, they have recently launched their first issue of a new quarterly newsletter. Even if your library is not a member of the Cooperative, they offer a variety of useful digital preservation resources.

November 2018

November’s preservation tip is IFLA’s Preservation and Conversation Strategic Programme. Their page has a helpful list of resources, as well as notices about upcoming events, conferences, and workshops worldwide.

October 2018

Need something to listen to on your commute, at your desk, or while folding laundry? The Preservation Committee would like to share a few podcast episodes related to preservation topics. We hope that they are both entertaining and informative!

September 2018

This month’s preservation tip features LYRASIS’s Preservation pages. Among their various offerings are pages of preservation publications and resources and digital toolboxes for digitization. LYRASIS also has a mix of free and paid preservation training webinars/classes and links to current grant projects.

August 2018

The Library of Congress has a useful page of Digital Preservation Outreach and Education online trainings. Although the calendar for scheduled webinars/trainings is no longer updated, the “Anytime Trainings” is a collection of webinars from such institutions as the Society of American Archivists , Association for Information Science and Technology, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

July 2018

Sometimes your fellow librarians are your best resource, as evidenced by the Connecting to Collections Care Online Community. This group offers free preservation and conservation resources, webinars, and courses. In addition, they have a thriving online discussion forum, where you can ask community members for advice, as well as browse through conservation challenges that colleagues from varied libraries are facing. Want to compare vendors or choose between supply brands? Looking for tips on safely boxing fragile papers, restoring old photographs, even the proper structural support for a 1860’s ball gown lined with boning? Whether your problem is unique or mundane, someone on the forum may have the answer!

June 2018

Have some down time this summer? Why not take advantage of it to catch up on some preservation training? The Digital Preservation Education department of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources has a detailed resources list. It includes best standards documentation and free webinars and tutorials for all your digital preservation project planning and management needs.

May 2018

This month, the Preservation Committee highlights the free e-journal e-Preservation Science— “scientific research for the preservation of cultural heritage.” The annual publication consists of papers on a variety of topics in preservation research, including stability and condition studies and materials/procedures information. It is a fascinating look at the more scientific aspects of preservation, as well as detailed explorations of varied artifacts. No matter what sort of formats and materials you have in your collection, there may be something of interest in their back issues!

April 2018

ALA Preservation Week is April 22-28. As always, make sure to check out ALCTS page for resources and free webinars. This year’s offerings include valuable sessions on preserving both personal and community heritage materials. If your library need some celebration ideas, ALA also features event planning resources and toolkit for inspiration!

March 2018

How prepared is your institution if an unexpected disaster strikes? The Museum of Modern Art has a list of disaster recovery resources for museums, libraries, and archives. These include organizations who provide 24/7 disaster assistance advice, health and safety information, best practices for preparedness, and links to local and national recovery service vendors.

February 2018

Once again, ALCTS is offering its four-week web course: Fundamentals of Preservation. They offer four different sessions, starting from February 26 and running through November 16. The course features weekly instructor-moderated chats that students are asked to attend live, with set assignment and quiz deadlines- but otherwise, students may complete the work at their own pace.

JANUARY 2018

Are you planning any AV preservation projects? Moving Image Preservation of Puget Sound (MIPoPS) has a handy resource list, including tips for vendor proposals, metadata standards, and digitization best practices for both analog and born digital materials.

2017

DECEMBER 2017

Instead of the usual resource or recommendation, the Preservation Committee shares a fascinating conservation project for the final tip of 2017. The London Metropolitan Archives are engaged in the ongoing restoration of the Great Parchment Book of The Honourable The Irish Society. The book contains a major survey compiled in 1639 of Derry estates, which was a vital source for the City of London’s role in the colonization of Ulster. The site allows one to explore sections of the book, and the accompanying blog details the conversation, digital reconstruction, transcription, and publication of the fire-damaged parchment pages. Hopefully these efforts will inspire everyone to tackle seemingly impossible preservation challenges in the new year!

NOVEMBER 2017

The Preservation Committee highlights The Preservation Self-Assessment Program (or PSAP) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is a free online guide for collection managers with detailed instructions for the care, preservation, and risk factors for many mediums and formats– including a wide variety of AV and photographic/image materials.

OCTOBER 2017

Did you miss the livestream of the Library of Congress National Digital Initiatives’ (NDI) symposium “Collections as Data: Impact” back in July? The LOC’s Digital Preservation page has the video link and speaker lineup. The day long presentations feature case studies and stories from librarians, artists, and academics on applying digital methods to analyzing and sharing collections.

SEPTEMBER 2017

Jeff Peachey’s blog is highlighted this month. Peachey is an independent conservator and bookbinder, and he frequently posts detailed entries about the technical and artisanal “how” and “why” of various conservation processes. One recent post describes an innovative step-by-step process to replicate early 19th Century book cloth. Perhaps your library can draw inspiration for an in-house repair you’ve been meaning to take action on.

AUGUST 2017

Are you looking for flexible yet guided continuing education or refresher training related to preservation? One option for these final weeks of summer could be ALCTS’s web course Fundamentals of Preservation. The 4-week session runs Monday, 8/14/2017 – Friday, 9/8/2017, and allows modified self-paced work combined with quizzes and weekly real-time chats.

JULY 2017

To mark Independence Day, the TS-SIS Preservation Committee’s July Tip of the Month departs from the usual resource recommendations to share some options for your reading and viewing pleasure. The history of conservation of the original copies of the Charters of Freedom — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights — is fascinating, and may be practical after all if your library has any parchment-based items​.​ The National Archives has an interesting overview article of the Declaration of Independence’s ​transfer, storage, and conservationover the centuries, and a video of a 2009 presentation given by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler and Catherine Nicholson, Conservators at the National Archives highlights their discoveries made while treating the documents for survival into the 21st Century.​

JUNE 2017

Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) maintains a useful resource list for all things related to Digital Preservation. Whether your institution is already highly experienced in executing large-scale digitization projects, or has only a small number of digital resources important to preserve long-term, there is probably something to help you brush up on the best practices that meet your needs.

MAY 2017

May 1st marks MayDay 2017. Does your institution need to revise or create a plan of action to respond when your collection is threatened?

Promoted by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation (FAIC) (239 KB PDF), MayDay “encourages cultural organizations to take one simple step to protect the art, artifacts, records, books, and historic sites they hold in trust.” Take advantage of their tips, tutorials, and special events (there’s even a prize drawing).

Also just announced today, the FDLP will host a free webinar on June 1st on the topic of disaster response: Nothing Ever Happens Until it Does: Disaster Prevention, Response, and Recovery.

APRIL 2017

This year’s Preservation Week is April 23-29. Does your library have plans in the works to raise awareness among your staff and the public? If you’re still looking for ideas, check out ALA/ALCTS’s links to preservation resources and event planning tools. You can also peruse the YouTube channel of all previous free Preservation Week webinars for a topic relevant to your library’s current staff development needs.

MARCH 2017

This month, the Preservation Committee highlights an upcoming free online learning session that may be of interest for those who are new to developing or managing digitization projects. The webinar “Digital Imaging 101: Converting Tangible Publications to Digital Assets” will be presented by the FDLP Academy, a service of the U.S. Government Publishing Office.

FEBRUARY 2017

As the extra hustle and bustle of the new calendar year is winding down, this month the TS-SIS Preservation Committee highlights its own Preservation Resources pages. Have you had any new colleagues join your institution recently? Perhaps now is the perfect time to review the basics of preservation with them, or simply refresh your own knowledge. The Staff Awareness Guide and Guidelines and Tips offer some jumping-off points.

JANUARY 2017

This month, the TS-SIS Preservation Committee highlights the Regional Alliance for Preservation. RAP is a great place to start your search for services or in-person training opportunities related to preservation and conservation.

2016

DECEMBER 2016

Do you have an unresolved question about digital preservation you’ve been meaning to investigate? Or has your library recently puzzled through a problem that you suspect others might be facing too? If so, consider browsing Digital Preservation Q&A, a joint project of the Open Planets Foundation and the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA). A quick registration step enables you to ask and answer questions from other members of the community, and vote on response relevance.

NOVEMBER 2016

This month, the Preservation Committee highlights David S. H. Rosenthal’s blog. Rosenthal is the co-founder of the LOCKSS program, and posts interesting discussions of his work in Digital Preservation, and comments on current related events of interest in general.

OCTOBER 2016

This summer Tedd Anderson, Conservation Technician at Duke University, wrote two entertaining blog posts on his successes boxing books of unusual size. The first details his work with Audubon’s Birds of America (40 inches by 27 inches) and the second with Duke’s collection of miniature books (several of which can fit together on your palm). Read for tips on how to make an enclosure that isn’t so heavy it adds an extra 20 pounds to an already hefty volume or so loose that a book might be dropped and lost.

SEPTEMBER 2016

The Preservation Committee is highlighting the Digital POWRR project (Preserving digital Objects With Restricted Resources) this month. POWRR includes a blog, a list of digital preservation tools, a white paper, links to related articles, and information about their workshops. The project began in 2012 and has entered a new phase to take their workshops on the road and across the country.

AUGUST 2016

This month, the Preservation Committee highlights the 2016-2017 revision of the Library of Congress Recommended Formats Statement. Notably, this latest version adds Websites as a seventh format category. An additional introduction is available at The Signal.

JULY 2016

Does your library have microfiche or microfilm collections? Microforms can themselves be stable, low-maintenance formats for preserving information, but they do have some distinct needs for proper storage, handling, and disaster planning. The NEDCC provides a leaflet with helpful guidelines.

JUNE 2016

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer. And to those on the east coast it also means preparatopms should begin for hurricane season. With that in mind, the Preservation Committee is sharing dPlan™: The Online Disaster-Planning Tool. This tool is a free, online template for writing a customized disaster plan at your institution.

MAY 2016

Does your library have plans to observe May Day? In additional to the traditional celebrations associated with May 1st, the Society of American Archivists encourages information professionals to reflect on the current state of our libraries and archives. Check out some Ideas for MayDay Activities, such as running through scenario exercises with your staff, or refresh your knowledge with some MayDay Quick Tips drawn from the NEDCC.

APRIL 2016

The month of April brings us Preservation Week. Does your library have plans to celebrate? If so, we’d love to hear about them! If you don’t have an idea for a way to celebrate Preservation Week, ALA provides a toolkit of resources. A passive way to promote preservation in your library is to print out the Save Your Stuff! Preservation Tips card set and put them out in public and/or staff areas of your library. These colorful cards will grab users’ attention and provide them with a link to get more information about preserving a variety of materials.

MARCH 2016

Does your institution have a preservation plan? Have you identified the materials or collections that should be prioritized to prevent deterioration? The Preservation Self-Assessment Program (PSAP) can help you develop a preservation plan that is as unique as your collections. This tool, developed at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with the support of IMLS, helps institutions develop a targeted plan through assessment of the paper, photographic, and audiovisual materials in their collection. Every collection is unique and PSAP will help you determine the condition of your collections and prioritize your preservation goals accordingly.

FEBRUARY 2016

The Preservation Committee invites you to take the National Digital Stewardship Alliance‘s current survey on web archiving activities in the U.S. Consider taking a few minutes to chime in on your own organization’s current practices, and peruse the results from past surveys completed in 2011 and 2013.

JANUARY 2016

The Preservation Committee shares a few podcasts related to preservation and conservation topics. What are your favorite shows to stay informed and enjoy a few moments of aural escape? We look forward to your comments to grow this list!