LIS 514-Preservation: Principles and Practice

I. Basic Course Information

Preservation: Principles and Practice | Course#: L514 | Section: 1 | School: SLIS

Prerequisites

L401; Sections of this course are reserved for graduate level students. May not be repeated.

Meeting times and locations

LIS 514 will be taught in two, three-day sessions, May 18-20 and June 8-10, from 9am 4pm. The class will meet in SLIS Room 001.

II. Instructor:

Jacob Nadal, Assistant Visiting Professor
Field Service Librarian, Preservation Division
The New York Public Library
Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018
jnadal+slis@gmail.com
Professional History
I have been employed at the New York Public Library since September 2005. Before this, I served as Head of the Craig Preservation Laboratory at the Indiana University Libraries from 2001-2005. I teach preservation for the Pratt Institute and the Indiana University School of Library Information Science.
Contacting Me
I am most easily available via email, and will respond within one day during the week (M-F). In person appointments are possible, as well, on Thursday afternoons and evenings before class, as well as during the weekend while I am in Bloomington.
New York Public Library: http://www.nypl.org
Pratt SILS: http://www.pratt.edu/sils/
Craig Preservation Laboratory: http://www.libraries.iub.edu/craiglab/

III. Course Description:

Course Description (from the Bulletin)

Examines causes of library and archival materials deterioration. Develops conceptual framework and management perspective for preservation programs using technical standards, program development tools, scientific and administrative research reports, and advocacy literature. Explores the new information technologies and media as both preservation tools and challenges.



IV. Schedule: (readings in separate list)

DAY 1
9:00 Introductions and discussion
10:00 Library Media Part I
11:00 Treatments part I
Lunch Break
1:30 Q & A; Case study introduction
2:00 Library Media Part II
3:00 Treatments Part II
 
DAY 2
9:00 Survey and Assessment Methods
10:00 Survey design exercise: Sarataqua case study
11:00 Books and paper: Scavenger Hunt
Lunch Break
1:30 Collections Care
3:00 Books and paper: Analysis and description
 
DAY 3
9:00 Preservation environments
10:00 Facilities design
11:00 Facilities walk through: IU Main Library
Lunch Break
1:30 Review facilities and environment: Case study exercise
2:30 Work session: scope of work for projects and plan of action
4:00 Vocabulary examination
 
Intersession Reading assignments; Survey work; Wikkipedia edits and additions
 
DAY 4
9:00 Preservation Timeline
10:00 Discussion: Artifactual Value and the Legacy of Nicholson Baker
11:30 Review survey project
Lunch Break
1:30 Disaster Planning
3:00 Case study: External services
4:00 Case study: Internal services
 
DAY 5
9:00 The Game of LOCKSS!
10:00 Digital Preservation Part I
11:00 The Game of Compression!
Lunch Break
1:30 Digital Preservation Part II
3:00 Digitization and Digital Preservation:
4:00 Discussion: Preservation in Digital Libraries
 
DAY 6
9:00 Class review and Context of Preservation
10:00 The Heritage Health Index
11:00 The state of the preservation effort
Lunch Break
1:30 Open discussion: Your questions and concerns
3:00 Putting it into practice: Show and Tell
4:00 Vocabulary Examination

V. Course requirements:

Textbooks and Readings

This course will make frequent use of Preservation: Issues and Planning, edited by Paul N. Banks and Roberta Pilette (Chicago: ALA, 2000). This is not required for the course, but is a good foundation text in preservation. It is available through NetLibrary and the IUL print collections.

Projects, Papers and Assignments

  1. Participation: 20% (attendance, participation)
  2. Exams: 20%
  3. Wikipedia Project: 30%
  4. Survey Project: 30%

Participation

Your presence and feedback are crucial to the success of this course. Each student will send reviews of two sessions, to be assigned in class, as the course progresses.

Exams

A vocabulary exam will be given twice during the course, covering essential terminology and concepts presented in class and through the readings.

Collection Survey Project

This project involves hands on assessment of library collections and determination of appropriate preservation strategies. A detailed assignment guide will be distributed in class.

Wikipedia Project

We will be submitting articles and revising information on preservation in Wikipedia. Each student will be asked to select one primary topic and contribute to the editing of three others. Complete details will be presented in a separate handout.

Late work

Assignments turned in past the deadline will be graded off at least one half grade. If you are unable to complete on assignment on time, contact me as soon as you are aware.

VI. Policies

Assessment and Grading

Grading policies can be found at:.

Students will be issued a letter grade for each assignment, in accordance with the policies listed above. These grades will be weighted and combined to assign a final grade.

Academic Integrity

This course will follow the Indiana School of Library and Information Science policies on academic Integrity. Please review the policies on Academic Integrity, available on-line at: http://www.prattsenate.org/learning/02-academic.htm

Persons with disabilities

Students with disabilities that require accommodations or have disabilities that might interfere with their participation in the class should contact the instructor to make arrangements.

Other polices

Please review the Student Handbook and Bulletin for other policies.