14.1 General
14.2 Disaster Preparedness
14.3 Preservation of digital resources
14.4 Serials binding
14.5 External statements on preservation
14.5.1 National Library of New Zealand Statements
14.5.2 ALA preservation policy
14.5.3 UNESCO statement
Preservation guidelines are described in greater detail in the Preservation Manual.
14.1 General
ACL/TPK undertakes both remedial and preventive measures for the preservation of materials as an integral part of collection development and management. It is ACL/TPK’s policy to support appropriate preservation activities as an ongoing, system-wide component of the collection development process.
To this end ACL/TPK has a Preservation Manager/Book Conservator, and a Preservation Unit. The primary mission of the Preservation Unit is the preservation, conservation and physical care of the collections of ACL/TPK to ensure their continued availability to both current and future generations.
The term "Preservation" covers all matters including preventive measures, storage and accommodation provisions, policies, reformatting, treatments, etc. that are involved in extending the physical life of an item or the information contained in it. Conservation is one aspect of preservation, and refers to intervention techniques applied as treatment to the physical form of an item to extend its life.
The ACL/TPK collections of permanent value and cultural significance are preserved for use by future generations of Aucklanders. Emphasis is placed on system-wide preventative preservation designed to minimize physical deterioration of collections. Particular attention is paid to the preservation management of heritage collections, with the appointment of the Preservation Manager and the extensive refitting of the heritage floor to provide appropriate environmental conditions being key actions taken to support this. Special Collections are maintained and housed in accordance with international standards and remedial conservation treatment is undertaken for items in heritage collections where this is justified.
The second floor of the Central City Library was completely refitted in the library refurbishment project in 1994. Emergency sprinklers and sophisticated temperature and humidity controls were installed in order to protect the unique heritage represented in the special collections held by ACL/TPK. Heritage collections are stored in closed access areas accessible only to Heritage team staff.
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14.2 Disaster Preparedness
ACL/TPK has a regularly updated Disaster Preparedness Plan, including a Collection Protection and Recovery Team, who are on call for any emergency such as the flood in the basement at the Central City Library in November 2002.
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14.3 Preservation of digital resources
Policies on the special requirements of preservation of digital resources are being developed.
The UNESCO Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage sets a context for this policy:
More and more of the world's cultural and educational resources are being produced, distributed and accessed in digital form rather than on paper. Born-digital heritage available on-line, including electronic journals, World Wide Web pages or on-line databases, is now part of the world’s cultural heritage. However, digital information is subject to technical obsolescence and physical decay.
The instability of the internet is an additional risk for knowledge accumulated in the html format. The need to safeguard this relatively new form of documentary heritage calls for international consensus on its collection, preservation and dissemination, which resulted in the adoption of "UNESCO Charter on the Preservation of the Digital Heritage".
The Charter was adopted at the 32nd session of the General Conference of UNESCO, 17 October 2003.
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14.4 Serials binding
Approximately 350 selected serial titles that are kept permanently are bound in accumulated volumes at agreed intervals, e.g. annually or quarterly. These are bound in agreed styles with hand finished lettering. Binding is undertaken in order to extend the life of the volumes and protect them from theft or other loss of individual issues. The Bookbinder in the Preservation Unit carries out the binding applying the New Zealand Printing Industries Trade standards and practices and ANSI/NISO/LBI standard for Library Binding (1998). The criteria for titles selected for binding is reviewed every five years.
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14.5 External statements on preservation
A preservation policy document covering both Heritage and current use collections will be developed. In the interim, statements from the National Library of New Zealand, the American Library Association and UNESCO give guidelines to the issues surrounding preservation and conservation in libraries and inform activities in this area.
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14.5.1 National Library of New Zealand Statements
“Library materials are preserved to be used. They are vital sources of information which cannot be conserved and stored away in an ideal and secure environment to arrest their decay. A preservation policy for library materials needs to take account of: the aims and objectives of the library; its collection development policy; its strategic and operational plans; the needs of the users; the significance of the individual items; the place of the library within the national and international framework; tikanga Maori.”
“The National Library's preservation activities are informed by the principles adopted by professional conservators which include: respect for the integrity of the original object; reversibility of treatment;
a minimal approach to intervention; technical documentation of treatment; maintenance of cultural values; a balanced approach to aesthetic, historic, technological, scientific, social and spiritual values.”
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14.5.2 ALA preservation policy
“The American Library Association's policy on preservation is based on its goal of ensuring that every person has access to information at the time needed and in a useable format. ALA affirms that the preservation of library resources protects the publics right to the free flow of information … The Association supports the preservation of information published in all media and formats. The Association affirms that the preservation of information resources is central to libraries and librarianship.
Librarians must be committed to preserving their collections through appropriate and non-damaging storage, remedial treatment of damaged and fragile items, preservation of materials in their original format when possible, replacement or reformatting of deteriorated materials, appropriate security measures, and lifecycle management of digital publications to assure their usefulness for future generations. Preservation issues should be addressed while planning for new construction or the renovation of existing buildings.
Librarians who create, maintain, and share bibliographic records and other metadata associated with physical and digital objects in their collections enhance security, access, and preservation and facilitate collaborative efforts to protect the Nation's cultural heritage.
Librarians must educate the public about the choices and the financial commitments necessary to preserve society's cultural and social records.
… Primary source documents from individuals, local governments, and private and public organizations are the fundamental evidence of cultural and social life. Although citizens may sense the instability of newsprint, for example, they may be less likely to know that media such as colour film and videotape pose significant preservation challenges. The preservation of primary source documents, if not pursued aggressively, has enormous consequences on our right to know about and understand ourselves and the community in which we live. Libraries have an obligation (a) to inform donors, users, administrators, and local officials about the ephemeral nature of primary source materials, (b) to promote strategies for the proper care, handling, and storage of these materials, and (c) to recommend the use of durable media and methods of documentation. “
American Library Association Preservation Policy Revised 2001.xxv
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14.5.3 UNESCO statement
“The memory of the peoples of the world is of vital importance in preserving cultural identities, in linking past and present and in shaping the future. The documentary heritage in libraries and archives constitutes a major part of that memory and reflects the diversity of peoples, languages and cultures. But that memory is fragile. UNESCO, therefore, takes actions to help in its preservation.
The first and most urgent need is to ensure the preservation, by the most appropriate means, of documentary heritage that has world significance. It is also important to make this heritage accessible to as many people as possible, using the most appropriate technology, both inside and outside the countries in which it is located. High quality text, sound and image banks could be compiled and made available on local and global networks, and reproductions made in all possible forms including compact discs, albums, books, postcards and microfilms. The proceeds from the sale of related products would then be ploughed back into preservation work.”
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