Core Preservation Administration Interest Group

The Preservation Administrators Interest Group (PAIG) Mid Winter Report

Saturday, January 9^th, 8:30 – 11:30am.

Co-Chairs: Laura McCann & Kate Contakos

Location: Boston Convention & Exhibit Center Room 160AB

Attendees:  45

PARS Chair Report. Annie Peterson, Preservation Services Librarian at Lyrasis.

• ALCTS board meeting report: In 2017 there will be a 60^th anniversary forum; Mentoring program is in planning process; Call for preservation related content for ALCTS news online.


• PARS programming will continue to be reduced going forward during the mid-winter conference, as the feedback over the last year was positive. If you have additional feedback contact Annie at annie.peterson@lyrasis.org


• PARS Forum at mid-winter is: “Ask the Experts”


• PARS appointments will be open for volunteers after mid-winter. Volunteers are one- year appointments. Visit http://www.ala.org/alcts/mgrps/howto/vol_form to fill out a volunteer form, or contact PARS Chair-elect Kris Kern at kernk@pdx.edu


• PARS in now in the ALA institutional repository, ALAIR. We are depositing PARS minutes and other documents. https://alair.ala.org/handle/11213/624


• At ALA Annual there will be a service project on Friday, Preservation in Action, at the Orange County Regional History Center. The project will be a film rehousing project. Anyone in PARS or outside of PARS can sign up during registration for Annual.   


• The Preservation Statistics Survey will be available January 19th. Please complete it!

Update from the Library of Congress & Report on Standards. Jeanne Drewes, Chief, Binding & Collections Care Division/ Deacidification Program; Preservation Directorate.

• Preservation Director position will be posted (open) in the spring.


• A new Head Librarian most likely will be appointed this spring. The appointment will be a 10 year appointment, with the possibility of one renewal. See http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2015/10/technology/senate-passes-10-year-term-for-librarian-of-congress/#_


• Audio-visual forum about the IRENE machine was held. The Library is moving forward with 3-D imaging of wax cylinders. NEDCC is making this technology available for reformatting https://www.nedcc.org/audio-preservation/about


• Preservation Directorate http://www.loc.gov/preservation/ have been updated, including pages with information in Spanish; a sample RFP for ordering labels of various types http://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/


• Update from Becky Ryder: IFLA will be in the US in Columbus OHIO August 12-15, http://2016.ifla.org/ watch for calls for papers. Jeanne is organizing a pre-meeting on physical and digital storage from August 10-12. Call for papers deadline extended to February 29, 2016


• http://2016.ifla.org/cfp-calls/preservation-and-conservation-section-with-pac Spanish language salvage wheels are available for FREE from Jeanne (through FAIC) for the cost of shipping only.

Standards Report:

• New ALCTS monograph The Critical Componentnow available from ALA store.  http://www.alastore.ala.org/detail.aspx?ID=11483


• Library binding standard is coming up for review.


• New standard for deacidification, just recently published on how to evaluate various processes.  http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=62225


• International standard for storage is currently in process http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_tc/catalogue_tc_browse.htm?commid=48842


• ISO request for standard for disaster plans which would define a minimum standard for disaster plan is under review


• http://www.iso.org/iso/home/store/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=69922


• Consider being involved in standards work when there is a call for members.

Digital Preservation Projects and Initiatives

National Digital Stewardship Residency (NDSR) Program

The National Digital Stewardship Residency (NDSR) is a project-driven training program in digital preservation for recent MLS/MLIS graduates.  The program is sponsored by an IMLS grant, developed by Library of Congress, and administered through Harvard University.

The residents selected to carry out digital preservation projects in the Boston area: Alexandra Curran – MIT Libraries; Jeffrey Erickson-University of Massachusetts at Boston; Alice Sara Prael – John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum; Stefanie Ramsay – State Library of Massachusetts; Julie Seifert – Harvard Library, each briefly presented on their projects addressing issues of preservation storage, workflow analysis, standards assessment, and digital preservation planning. More information about their projects can be found on the NDSR Boston web site: http://projects.iq.harvard.edu/ndsr_bostonand their Sips, Dips and Bytes blog: https://ndsrboston2015.wordpress.com

Dodging the Memory Hole: Saving News (Savenews.org), Liz Bishoff, Owner and Principal Consultant, The Bishoff Group

Bishoff reported on the savenews.org initiative that began in 2011 when a small group of journalists, librarians and archivists began meeting to address the issues surrounding preservation of digital news.  The Educopia Institute and the University of Missouri Reynolds School of Journalism held two symposia: Dodging the Memory Hole I & II in 2014 and 2015.  Bishoff presented a case study on a collaboration between a library and newspaper to develop a long-term preservation plan for some of the newspaper’s digital contents. Bishoff reported on work by participants in the savenews.org group to develop strategies and models for copyright agreements between newspapers and libraries. The next Dodging the Memory Hole symposia will be held at UCLA, October 13-14, 2016.

Highlighting Local Preservation Initiatives: Boston Area

Outreach at the Boston Athenæum. Dawn Walus, Chief Conservator at the Boston Athenæum.  

Walus presented on the work of the Conservation Department at the Boston Athenæum to raise awareness of the role of conservation in libraries, and at the Boston Athenæum in particular. The Athenæum conservators take a hands-on approach to community outreach by hosting training sessions on conservation basics for volunteers, docents, and staff. Visitors are invited into the lab for tours and interactive workshops, and are currently developing interactive materials for children’s programming. In addition to offering dedicated programming about conservation, Walus described how the Athenæum’s conservators are visible and accessible to members and visitors during events such as the Athenæum’s annual Open House, New Members’ Receptions, and fundraisers.

The Medford Historical Society Civil War Photographs Digitization Project. Jay Hurd, Museum educator/Interpreter at the Concord Museum, and Volunteer, Medford (MA) Historical Society.

Hurd presented on a project to digitize the Medford Historical Society Civil War photographs to increase accessibility. A former mayor of Medford, General Samuel Crocker Lawrence, commander of the Lawrence Light Guard, amassed the photographs. They are in excellent physical condition and considered a national treasure.  In 1996 a portion of the collection was digitized by Corbis, and are available exclusively through Corbis. A new project is underway to digitize the remaining collection and provide digital surrogates online for public use. Hurd described the project’s funding process and outlined project plans for both preservation and access.

Disaster Preparedness & Response Initiatives

The Current State of Cultural Heritage Emergency Networks. Lori Foley, Emergency management specialist, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) detailed to the Smithsonian Institution.  

Foley presented on a number of disaster preparedness and response collaborations and initiatives. These collaborations and initiatives include the Heritage Preservation Program Alliance for Response that initiated a dialogue between two very different sectors – the cultural community and the emergency management community – about the protection of collections. Foley emphasized that because all disasters are local, such networks have enabled cultural institutions to help one another and work with their local emergency management director to become better prepared to address emergencies. Foley described cultural heritage emergency networks and resources at the local, state, and federal level – and encouraged attendees to participate in one.

Outreach for Emergency Preparedness: Harvard Library’s Reactive and Proactive Strategies. Priscilla Anderson,  Senior Preservation Librarian in the Weissman Preservation Center at Harvard University, and Theresa Smith, Paper Conservator for Special Collections at the Weissman Preservation Center, Harvard Library

Anderson and Smith presented on disaster preparedness strategies for Harvard University’s 70-library system. The libraries have varied needs and levels of preparedness for collections emergencies, requiring preservation to invest in both proactive and reactive strategies to build relationships and teams, strengthen skills, and increase staff engagement and confidence.  They described disaster response and preparedness initiatives including the use of a single number (cell phone) used to offer 24/7 expert advice and response to collections emergencies.  Anderson and Smith outlined a recent initiative to establish and promote benchmarks for emergency preparedness. These benchmarks aim to empower library administrators to take an active role in emergency preparedness. A handout distributed including links to resources on benchmarking as well as the Harvard Library’s Emergency Response Plan Template and the Harvard Library Collection emergency Preparedness Benchmarks. http://library.harvard.edu/preservation/emergency-preparedness