Course Description:
The purpose of this course is to acquaint you with the field of Library and Archival Preservation. Preservation is an integral part of all Library activities. You will be exposed to concepts, issues and challenges that will relate to your chosen career and leave this course with tools, resources and contacts to address a wide range of Preservation Problems.
I expect you to do the readings and ask questions in class. If I were going to have a
textbook it would be: Banks, Paul N. and Pilette, Roberta. Preservation: Issues and Planning. Chicago: ALA 2000. You can purchase this book from the ALA website at http://www.alastore.ala.org or Amazon at http://www.amazon.com. Check the Friends of Art Bookshop. I asked them to order a few copies.
I will have the sections I want you to read on reserve in the SLIS Library.
We will rely heavily on the work of Sherelyn Ogden.
Preservation of Library and Archival Materials: A Manual. Andover, MA: Northeast Document Conservation Center, 1999. The entire manual is available online.
http://www.nedcc.org/plam3/manhome.htm
January 9
Introduction, Background, Issues and Planning
Organizations, Vendors, In Print and Web Resources
January 16
Familiarize yourself with COOL, Conservation Online. Subscribe to the Conservation dist-list. We will not have class due to the observance of Martin Luther King Day
January23
Review Conservation organizations. Provide overview presentation of preservation problems/ scenarios. Begin discussion of building and environmental concerns. Divide into 4 groups. Each group assigned a project to develop a pathfinder or tip sheet on the following topics. Mold, Insects and Pests, Disaster Preparedness and Salvage and Housing and Enclosures.
January 30
Meet at the Lilly. We will have a tour of the machine room with our zone manager, Raymond Krebbs. He will explain the environmental control systems and answer questions. We will then meet in the Ellison Room, view a video on storage and handling and environmental controls. I will demonstrate the environmental monitoring equipment
environment
February 6
Brief Presentations of group findings. We will begin discussion of paper and books.
Introduction to binding structures. We will dissect several books and discuss terminology and mobility. We will meet briefly with Bindery Prep to see how materials are prepared to be sent to the bindery. How are books directed to conservation.
February 13
Pat Kelley from Insects Limited will give an introduction to Integrated Pest Mangement then we will follow him on an inspection and he will show us how and where to place traps. We will set up a monitoring program which we will maintain through the semester. We will prepare a report as a group at the conclusion.
We will begin our discussion of Mold. I am planning on having our resident mycologist, Michael Tansey speak on Mold and Health Related Issues.
February 20
Commercial Binding. We will take a field trip to Heckman ICI Bindery. Brian Baird will tell us about the new merger and Etherington Conservation Center. We will have the opportunity to see the production area and the area doing specialized conservation treatments.
February 27
Continue discussion on paper, book structure and view Gary Frost How to Operate a Book
March 6
Reformatting. We will have a look at what the digital library program is doing. Kris Brancolini Head of the Digital Library will be a guest speaker. Photographic Materials will be discussed the second half of the class. We will focus on identification and housing of photographic materials. After the break we will talk about collection surveys.
March 13 - 19 SPRING BREAK
March 20
I will be deinstalling the Kerouac manuscript in San Francisco and will not be here for class. Use this time to meet in your groups and to research your final papers.
March 27
Disaster Preparedness and Salvage We will look at Disaster Planning and Prevention and then cover salvage. We will have fire extinguisher training. We will have the opportunity to work with wet materials in class.
April 3
Exhibition, Loans, Packing -Condition Reports. Exhibition matting and framing, Mounts for bound materials
April 10
ALF visit We will discuss the growing need for space to house collections and talk about the ways that institutions have addressed this challenge. We will have a brief tour of Conservation Labs and an overview of treatments.
April 17
ALF visit We will spend time in the conservation labs including hands on sessions. There will be four activities. The groups will rotate enabling everyone to complete four sample treatments.
April 24
Last Day of Classes. Please turn in final papers to me at Lilly by Weds. April 26. I will have the Final exam questions for you. Please turn them in at Lilly by our final exam date.
We will be meeting at the Archives of Traditional Music in Morrison Hall. Susan Mudge and Mike Casey will talk to us about sound recordings analog and digital. Mike will share his experience with an exciting NEH grant project IU and Harvard are collaborating on. Mike was kind enough to share his resource list for Audio Preservation.
Final will be take home and will be handed out on last day of class.
Grading is based on the following totaling 100 points
| Attendance, participation and Projects | 15 points |
| Research Project and Paper | 50 points |
| Final Exam | 35 points |