Core Preservation Administration Interest Group

I am posting this as a member of the Core Publications Coordination Committee. ALA Editions has been looking at older titles that have not been selling strongly to see if they need to be updated or are still relevant. One of the titles that has been recently noted is the classic Guide to the ANSI/NISO/LBI Library Binding Standard, which was last updated in 2000. https://www.alastore.ala.org/content/guide-ansinisolbi-library-binding-standard

I recognize that several of our members are researching current library binding practices (sign up for the library binding survey report in early March!), but I wanted to reach out to the group to hear our members' thoughts on the Guide as a functional document and perhaps plant the seeds for folks to write an updated edition. Or not.

If anyone has thoughts about updating the Guide (or any other potential preservation monograph ideas), please reach out to me at fdurant@ufl.edu. I am more than happy to talk about publishing through Core and how to get started.

Sincerely,

Fletcher

Dear Fletcher,

Thank you for suggesting this publication as a possibility for review/revision. However, the most recent edition of the Guide to the Library Binding Standard for Library Binding by Jan Merrill-Oldham and Paul Parisi was published in 2008, not 2000 (though that is a long time ago too (-:  ). The latter date refers to the most recent revision of the Standard itself, which the Guide is intended to support. The Standard has not been revised since 2000.

So, although the Guide is truly one of the most foundational publications for our work in library preservation IMHO, I don't think the Guide could be revised without the Standard itself being revised first.

Elise

Elise Calvi

Head, Preservation Department

Indiana University Libraries

My apologies for the date error. The ALA store has...limited bibliographical information for the volume. The standard itself has been revised or updated twice since the Guide was published (2010 and 2018), but I recognize that these are minor updates to the Standard.

I guess that my question for the group is whether the existing version of the Guide is a text that can be argued must be retained for sale in its given edition or if everyone who is going to buy this version has already acquired it? But also, have there been sufficient changes to the use and application of library binding in libraries that a new, different volume might be developed to share current practices?

Best,

Fletcher

Hi Fletcher,

Sorry -- my bad! Not realizing the standard has been revised twice since 2000!

Elise