Students should know

• why the contents of libraries are at risk;
• how to assess the problems in a particular library;
• what to recommend to do about them;
• the relative advantages of repair or reformatting;
• how to preserve digital information;
• plans for physical protection.

Organization of the Courses

In addition to lectures, the class will also visit actual preservation laboratories and/or related sites. Class sessions cover

1. Paper and binding deterioration
2. Environmental conditions
3. Non-book materials
4. Reformatting: paper copying, microfilm and digital
5. Digital preservation
6. Physical security
7. Disaster preparation
8. Exhibitions and other miscellaneous threats
9. Funding and planning

Major Assignments

Students are expected to turn in a written discussion of some topic for most weeks of the course. They will also select a collection for possible preservation treatment, evaluate it, and prepare a proposal for funding that outlines what should be done, how much it would cost, and why it should be done.

Methods of Assessment

Assignments (including the final proposal) will be graded mostly on content: what material is selected for discussion, how complete the discussion is, how convincing is the argument made, and what comparisons are made with other projects. In addition, quality of writing and of class presentation, punctuality, and other aspects of the assignments will be graded. Roughly 1/3 of the grade will depend on weekly assignments and 2/3 on the final project.

Bibliography

There is no textbook; all readings are on the Web. Note particularly the website of the Northeast Document Conservation Center.