Special collections libraries collect and preserve materials of intellectual and cultural heritage, providing access to unique research resources. As their holdings continue to expand, special collections in research libraries confront increased space pressures. Off-site storage facilities, used frequently by research libraries for general…

This article establishes the level of skills and experience in preservation and conservation management using a case study methodological approach conducted in the 3 university libraries at the University of Zambia. The findings revealed that 20 (57%) of the library staff had not received formal training in preservation and conservation of library…

As library collections increasingly become digital, libraries are faced with many challenges regarding the acquisition and management of electronic resources. Some of these challenges include copyright and fair use, the first-sale doctrine, licensing versus ownership, digital preservation, long-term archiving, and, most important, the issue of…

How have college and university-based archives and special collections fared over the past few years in the midst of an historically grim economic downturn? The authors conducted in-depth interviews with directors of 13 archival repositories at state universities and private colleges in the Appalachian region of Virginia, West Virginia, North…

The cultural heritage of library collections and individual items is of importance and interest outside the profession of librarianship. This paper gives an introduction to the concept of "movable heritage" from the heritage professional's perspective and provides suggestions as to how this concept can be applied to libraries.…

Recent surveys indicate that many colleges and universities have reached a pivotal moment in assessing the function and future development of their institutional repositories. Other surveys convey that archivists are participating in the development and implementation of institutional repositories at a variety of levels and have contributed to the…

There is a general perception that as librarians, we know what constitutes and defines a rare book, that our heritage book collections are well-documented and their future survival is planned for and secure. This discussion paper asks whether our definitions of heritage material might be too narrow and whether they reflect the reality across all…

The Web-at-Risk project is a digital preservation project funded by the Library of Congress as part of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program. The project is developing a Web archiving service to enable curators to build, store, and manage archived collections of Web-published materials captured largely from U.S.…

Discusses the basic issues and practices in the administration of photographic collections, specifically with respect to the preservation of photographic materials, the organization of photographic files, and the cataloging of photographs under the Anglo American Cataloging Rules. An 18-item bibliography is included. (JL)

This essay characterizes role of the librarian as using a variety of skills (intellectual, human and communication, technical) to deal with recorded information by evaluating, acquiring, preserving, sorting and ordering, and making it available. Library management, training, and preservation of library materials are highlighted. Six references are…

In the past decade, the amount and variety of information on developing and managing comprehensive preservation programs has grown tremendously. This highly selective list of books, reports, journal and newsletter articles, and other sources is intended primarily as an introduction to the increasingly rich literature for archivists, special…

This paper discusses the importance and the place of collections preservation management in the larger preservation objectives of a library or an archive. Topics addressed include the issues, restraints, strategies, and difficulties associated with implementing collections preservation. The first section frames some of the management issues…

Storing and curating authentic academic literature and making it accessible for the long term has been a time-honoured task of national libraries. By guarding existing knowledge and facilitating its use to produce new insights, national and university libraries have formed an integral part of the research environment, complementing the roles of…

A reference guide from leading experts in the field, this book covers the repair, maintenance, and preservation of library or archive collections, providing a definitive and authoritative analysis of how to plan for and ensure the long-term health of an institution's collection in this digital age. Chapters include: (1) "Defining the Library…

This paper describes development of preservation/conservation policy in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland. Discussion covers concentration on manuscripts and older books, training of library personnel by the conservation staff, preservation methods, and balance between an institution's responsibilities to its readers and its duty to…