managing preservation without a preservation librarian

Take Responsibility Gather Support Evaluate Collections and Environment Create Policies and Planning Train and Assign Tasks Stick to the Plan

Setting the Stage:The Library Company of Burlington

Patrons appreciate the library’s historic legacy

Burlington’s own Civil War General E. Burd Grubb

Librarians Hannah Severns and Lydia Weston

King George II

1758 Charter

Original Seals

First to print a Catalog of Books - 1758

First Library Building Constructed - 1789

Wm. Franklin, NJ’s Last Royal Governor

1864: We got a new building…

and it’s old now, too.

Historical Collections The Library’s Archives

Books printed before 1801

The 19th Century book collection

The John James Audubon volumes

Library’s Archives Complete back to inception, 1758

Board of Director’s Minutes

NJ’s first printed Catalog of Books

Borrower’s Records

Historical Collections 1,000 Books printed before 1801

250 Books printed before 1758

2,000 19th Century printed books

Art Collection: paintings, original prints, photographs, sculpture

Historical Collections Oldest book in Library, ca 1546

Art Collection

Prints

Art Collection

Paintings

Prints

Art Collection

Prints

Sculpture

Paintings

Prints

Sculpture

Art Collection

Paintings

Prints

Sculpture

Photographs

The John James Audubon volumes

The John James Audubon volumes

Case Study:

Designing a Preservation Program

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Collection Breakdown

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

35,000 volumes Adult Fiction & Non-Fiction

Children’s Room: Fiction and Non-Fiction

Computer Lab: High Speed Internet Access

Teen Lounge: Relax, Read, Hang, Chill Out

Public Meeting Room & Videoconferencing

Internet Café: Wi-Fi, Web, Coffee & Snacks

Case Study:

Garnering Support for Preservation

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Case Study: Policies

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program: Policies

Missing Policies: Collections Development

Missing Policies: Collections Development

Missing Policies: Collections Development

Missing Policies: Collections Development

Missing Policies: Collections Development

Missing Policies: Collections Development

Case Study:

Designing a Preservation Program

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Charter: Conservation framed and covered

Rare Books: Gathered and shelved by date

Clamshell box: Good Protection - at a price

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Case Study:

Time to Assess the Collection

Case Study:

Whoa.

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Assess the Collection

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Grant from New Jersey State Library

Hired foremost authority to evaluate

Most books, not very valuable

Archives: priceless

Collections in good condition (whew!)

Train & Assign Tasks

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Specified weekly hours to catalog

Halted excessive research assistance

Expend 20 hours/month on inventory

8 years to complete the cataloging

Not bad for a 250-year-old!

Planning to Save

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Resumed book boxing

Now, made inexpensive phase boxes

KA-CHING! Saved 98%

Do it yourself

Boxing program accelerated

Planning to Save

Inexpensive phase boxes

Research by Proxy

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Scholarly interest in Archives

How to enable access & limit handling

Microfilming grant from NJ State Lib.

Use copies, Rutgers and Princeton

Master copy resides at State Archives

Research by Proxy

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Digitization for virtual access 24/7/365

Best Practice: continue to preserve the originals

Assess the Environment

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Concerned with building condition

HVAC system

Roof integrity

Fire suppression system

Alarm system

Regular Maintenance

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Roof inspection

Board to start saving

HVAC system cleaned 2X yearly

Replace decrepit boilers

Installed new fire suppression system

Regular Maintenance

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

New alarm system

Trees trimmed back

Gutters cleaned biannually

Replaced missing storm windows

Replaced fire extinguishers

Extraordinary Maintenance

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Basement dampness & crumbling

One-time appeal to City Council

$25,000 funding secured

Opportunistic Maintenance

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

$35,000 Grant from Rohm & Haas

New computer lab / teen center

Upgrade electrical system to handle

Networking, T1, Routers, etc.

Lighting fixtures and go for green

Pest management

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Daily cleaning and trash removal

Extermination services once monthly

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?

Eliminate dangerous substances

Reduce resulting damage

Rare Book Room

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Logical gathering of like materials

Secure location under lock and key

Improved environmental control

Rare Book Room

Environmental Control System

Control the Environment

Measure and Regulate: Heat (temperature and fluctuations) Humidity (RH and dewpoint) Light levels (visible and UV) Ph (Acid / Alkali)

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Micro-Environment

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

Rare Book Room Conditions

Consulted Preservation Librarian, Library Company of Philadelphia

Conditions not great, not bad

Beware shelving materials

Case Study: Preserving Works of Art on Paper

Re-housing Acid-free mattes UV filter glass

Matte machine Conservation

Framing

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program

2nd-flr Gallery: gather art for display Secure, supervised, lockable Improve environmental control

Case Study: Designing a Preservation Program: Gallery

Case Study: Light can reveal

Case Study: Light can reveal, light can destroy

Case Study: Prepare for Disaster: Write a Plan

Workshop, New Jersey State Library Wrote the Disaster Plan Map, locations of premier materials

Disaster Planning

Case Study: Preparation: Writing Disaster Plan

Disaster Planning “Crash Cart” of disaster supplies:

Shop vac Plastic sheeting, Duct Tape Gloves, Masks Tools

Rescubes

Contacts, all emergency responders

Rescubes

Rescubes

Case Study: Preparation: Writing Disaster Plan

Case Study: Disaster: forewarned is forearmed

Locate Water Shut-off Valve Point out items to local fire official Templated custom Disaster Plan:

D-Plan Lite by NEDCC

A Scalable and Effective Preservation Program

Take Responsibility Gather Support Evaluate Collections and Environment Create Policies and Planning Train and Assign Tasks Stick to the Plan

Michele Stricker The New Jersey State Library

Thank you for listening!