GENERAL INTRODUCTION
The University at Buffalo is the largest and most diverse campus in the State University of New York system. The University at Buffalo offers more than 300 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs. Professional schools include Architecture, Management, Dentistry, Informatics, Law, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, and Public Health.
The University at Buffalo Libraries belong to the Association of American Universities, the Center for Research Libraries, the Western New York Library Resources Council, and the Association of Research Libraries. We are a founding member of SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and we provide financial support for the activities of the Council on Library and Information Resources. Additionally, the Health Sciences Library participates in the National Library of Medicine's Regional Medical Library Program.
The University at Buffalo library system consists of seven public service units, plus the Educational Technology Center, which assists faculty in the effective application of technology, and Central Technical Services. The University Libraries hold over 3.5 million print volumes, 5.8 million microforms, and extensive audio, video, and manuscript resources. Unit libraries offer services and collections tailored to faculty, students and researchers in specific academic and professional disciplines.
The University Libraries are fully automated. All aspects of internal operations are automated through the use of state-of-the-art, networked personal computers, highly-sophisticated local programming, and an online interactive library management system. A fully operational web-based online public access catalog is available in all areas of the University Libraries and remotely from faculty and other University offices, dorm rooms, and homes. Also available in campus libraries and remotely is an extensive selection of electronic resources. Electronic journals, newspapers, books, and government documents and periodical full text databases are accessible through the University Libraries' web site and the UB Libraries Catalog.
The University Libraries are active participants in SUNY Connect and related efforts to link the campuses of the SUNY system so that staff expertise and library collections can be shared.
COLLECTIONS
Arts and Sciences Libraries
Lockwood Memorial Library serves as the humanities and social sciences research library. Reflecting the role of Lockwood Library as a regional resource center, it is particularly strong in reference works. Its Polish Collection, which focuses on Poland's arts and history, serves the primary function of preserving and transmitting the Polish cultural heritage. Lockwood Library is also a document depository for United States and New York State documents and contains a large number of Canadian and European Union documents as well.
The Architecture and Planning Library houses books, journals, and other specialized material which support teaching and research in the areas of architecture and urban planning.
The Science and Engineering Library maintains a collection of books, journals, and technical reports in hard copy and microform in the engineering and the physical and natural sciences. In addition, over 200,000 maps, 3,000 aerial photos, and 500 atlases covering all regions of the world distinguish the University Libraries' Map Collection within the Science and Engineering Library.
The Oscar A. Silverman Undergraduate Library collection of humanities, social sciences and basic science materials are selected to meet the course-related needs and recreational reading interests of the University at Buffalo undergraduates. The Undergraduate Library is one of three locations within the University library system where public access PCs have been placed. These areas, known as Cybraries, are open to all University at Buffalo students.
Health Sciences Library
Established in 1846, the Health Sciences Library's collection of books, journals and audio-visual materials covers the full spectrum of the health sciences. The Robert L. Brown History of Medicine Collection, contains over 13,000 volumes of rare and historical medical, dental, and nursing materials as well as an extensive collection of early medical and dental instruments and artifacts.
The collection of the Media Resources Center consists of over 2,500 audiovisual items, in a variety of formats, supporting the health sciences programs at the University at Buffalo.
Charles B. Sears Law Library
The Law Library maintains current materials in case, statutory, and administrative law, and retrospective collections of primary and secondary legal sources of which a growing proportion are in microform or are available
electronically. The Morris J. Cohen Rare Book Collection of the Law Library, which contains English and American legal sources dating to the 16th century, provides background materials for researchers in early foundations of legal traditions.
Other special collections in the Law Library are the papers of John Lord O'Brian, educator and attorney who served every president from Theodore Roosevelt to Franklin D. Roosevelt; the books and papers of Howard R. Berman, educator and experimenter in the area of American Indian law; and the archives of the School of Law.
Music Library
In addition to current and retrospective music literature, including over 81,000 scores and performance parts, and 35,000 recordings, the Music Library also holds numerous unique collections. These include a collection of more than 100 fake books, with a 15,000-card index to their contents. Other special collections are a collection of more than 5,000 antiquarian music catalogs; the papers of University faculty and composers John Clough, Morton Feldman, Lejaren Hiller, Yvar Mikhashoff, Allen Sapp, and Leo Smit; the Perry Collection of photographs of opera singers, conductors, and music halls; substantial collections of concert posters and programs; reproductions of medieval and renaissance European manuscripts; several early 19th century collections; and manuscripts of American avant-garde compositions. Original materials documenting the history of U.S. music librarianship, including oral interview tapes, are also represented in the Music Library's collection.
Approximately 900 tapes document performances and lectures recorded during festivals of contemporary music at the University. Archival collections include the Center for Creative and Performing Arts of the Music Department.
Special Collections
In 2004 the Poetry/Rare Books Collection and University Archives were brought under the same administration. The combined operation consists of three parts: the Poetry Collection, the Rare Books Collection, and University Archives. The preservation program will become part of Special Collections upon the appointment of a new Preservation Officer.
The Poetry Collection is a specialized resource consisting of more than 85,000 volumes of 20th century poetry in English. The James Joyce Collection of manuscripts, printed works, artifacts, and photographs and portraits has long been considered to be the finest in the world. Of similar importance is the
Robert Graves Collection. First editions and manuscripts of authors Robert Duncan, Theodore Enslin, Robert Kelly, and William Carlos Williams also attract visiting scholars from throughout the world. The Poetry Collection holds the archives of the Jargon Society and of several publishers. Of particular strength is the collection of little magazines, one of the world’s largest.
The Rare Book Collection contains more than 15,000 rare volumes dating the l5th century. At the core of the collection are the 3,000 volumes collected between 1910 and 1930 by Buffalo lawyer and businessman Thomas B. Lockwood. To be merged into the Rare Books Collection are the non-circulating collections which were created in both Lockwood and the Science and Engineering Libraries to house items which, because of their format or intrinsic value, have not been kept on open shelves.
Also being incorporated into Special Collections is the George Kelley Paperback and Pulp Fiction Collection, now housed in Lockwood Library. The Kelley Collection, donated to Lockwood Library in 1994 and enhanced with additional gifts, contains nearly 30,000 pulp-fiction books and magazines dating from the 1920s to the present. Many of the titles have never appeared in hardcover.
The University Archives is one of the largest and most comprehensive in New York State with 7,500 linear feet or 5.5 million items of institutional records and manuscripts documenting the history of the University as well as significant aspects of the history of the Buffalo region. It houses a large collection of original 1930s radio scripts and is also known for its extensive collection of Frank Lloyd Wright letters, drawings, and photographs, and its numerous collections pertaining to women in Western New York, and others related to environmental conditions in the area.
Digital Collections
All areas of the University Libraries continue to expand access to journal, monographs, government documents, and specialized collections of manuscripts and other primary research material by purchasing access or by taking advantage of material publicly available via the Internet.
Using regular University Libraries funding we are also developing digital collections. The Rudy Bruner Award for Excellence in the Urban Environment and Government Document Brochures and Pamphlets are long-standing digital conditions created and maintained by the University Libraries.
In 2004 the University Libraries launched UBdigit to create and provide access to interdisciplinary multi-media digital collections. UBdigit will provide centralized access to a diverse inventory of collections for instruction, research, and scholarship. Digital collections based on holdings in Special Collections and unique material from the Health Sciences, Law, and Music Libraries will be an important focus of UBdigit.
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THE CURRENT PRESERVATION PROGRAM
History of Program Development
Prior to 1984 the University Libraries had no system-wide preservation program. Instead, each library unit performed limited preservation functions within its respective fiscal boundaries. Impetus to establish a system-wide program came in the summer of 1984 with the establishment of the New York State Conservation/Preservation program.
Significant Dates in the Development of the University Libraries' Preservation Program
1984
A team of conservators from the Northeast Document Conservation Center was contracted to survey and report on the environmental, climatic and physical conditions of the University Libraries’ collections. Their report and recommendations contributed substantially to the first five-year plan.
The University Libraries Preservation Committee was established. During its existence the committee functioned as a board of overseers which set system-wide preservation policies, approved programs, and watched over the coordination of preservation activities within the University Libraries.
Recruitment was done for a Preservation Officer to be responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive program for the University Libraries which included operating an in-house collections conservation treatment facility, implementing a brittle books program, developing a disaster response and recovery plan and developing staff and library user awareness programs.
1985
Conservation activities were centralized to avoid purchasing duplicate equipment and materials, but more importantly to assure that only well-trained and supervised staff provided conservation treatments.
1986
Construction of the 2,000 square foot Center for Book Preservation began. Permanent workstations were designed and constructed, and the facility was equipped and stocked.
1987
A ribbon cutting ceremony for the Center for Book Preservation was held on September 17, 1987. Among the notable guests present for the opening was Patricia Battin, then President of the Commission on Preservation and Access.
Establishment of the primary focus of the preservation program: the physical treatment, reformatting, and appropriate storage of the University Libraries' print and non-print collections.
1989
A second Conservation Technician position was created.
1994
Introduction of Xerox DocuTech Publisher hardware and software to the brittle books program.
1996
A part-time Preservation Reformatting Technician position was created.
1998-1999
The part-time Preservation Reformatting Technician position was changed to full time. Digital imaging activities were introduced. The University Libraries Preservation Council was formed and charged with 1) monitoring goals and objectives of the preservation program; 2) advising how best to realize the goals and objectives of the preservation program's current five-year plan; 3) assisting in the compilation of an annual preservation calendar; 4) assisting in the preparation of an operational plan, budget, and report; 5) participating in the identification of projects for which grant funding would be appropriate and in the identification of possible sources of external funding; and 6) assisting in the preparation of successive five-year plans.
A consultant from the Northeast Document Conservation Center visited the University Libraries on two occasions. In May 1998 all interested staff were invited to attend a workshop on disaster prevention. Then in May 1999 hands-on disaster response and recovery training was conducted for 30 staff members from all areas of the University Libraries plus representatives from University Facilities.
2000
Significant procedural and workflow changes were introduced. The introduction of new rotary cutters enabled us to cut cloth more efficiently and accurately, and an increase in rebinding and increased use of enclosures improved overall efficiently and turnaround time. The result of these changes was that we were able to stay current with work coming through the Center for Book Preservation.
2001
Launched Preservation website.
2003
A comprehensive review of the preservation program was undertaken. The review group worked with consultant Janice Mohlhenrich Lathrop to develop an
extensive group of recommendations and programmatic action items with the most critical of these being the following:
Hire a qualified preservation librarian/officer as soon as possible.
Create a new division of Special Collections/Preservation.
Restructure the preservation operations to include management responsibility for the preservation of the full range of collections in all units of the University Libraries.
Conduct collection assessments to identify collections in greatest need of preservation treatment and to guide the work of preservation staff.
2004
A Special Collections unit was formed by merging the Poetry/Rare Books Collection and University Archives. By the end of 2004 the decision had been made to transfer the preservation program to the new Special Collections organization.
The search for a new Preservation Officer was initiated.
History of Program Development--Services Provided
Since the establishment of a centralized facility funding provided by the New York State Conservation/Preservation program, together with significant institutional contributions, has enabled the University Libraries to establish and maintain policies and standards for a wide range of services: conservation treatment of the general circulating collections, including in-house pamphlet, spiral, and wire bindings; double fan adhesive binding; spine repair; endsheet replacement; rebacking and recasing with original or new boards. In addition to book repair, there are policies and standards for the construction of custom made preservation enclosures for fragile or special collections materials, documents, and manuscripts; the encapsulation of flat materials including maps; and conservation sound-storage environments for photographs and other visual collections.
There is also a brittle books program in which material is either photocopied or microfilmed. In the brittle books program, the preservation staff work closely with collection development staff. Although preservation selection criteria may differ among subject disciplines, one factor, that of use, either actual or anticipated, is universally applied.
During the initial years of operation, considerable efforts were made to establish procedures for circulation staff to identify damaged materials. All brittle and non-brittle materials were reviewed by subject bibliographers for treatment decisions. This process was greatly streamlined over ten years ago. Now bibliographers review only brittle material, whereas damaged non-brittle materials are routed directly to the Center. Center staff determine and perform the appropriate conservation procedure and return the material to the owning library.
History of Program Development--Programmatic Activities
Commercial Binding
The responsibility for commercial binding is not centralized in the preservation program. Technical services staff in the Health Sciences, Law, and Music.
Libraries prepare material for shipment to a commercial binder and process the completed work. For the other libraries, Periodicals staff in Central Technical Services are responsible for periodical binding, and Cataloging Department prepare and receive monographic binding. All areas follow preservation-sound policies for commercial binding and rebinding.
The salaries of all staff responsible for commercial binding and rebinding are paid from the University Libraries' regular budget. The Libraries also provide the funds for all commercial binding and rebinding. In 2003/04 nearly 15,000 volumes were bound or rebound.
Conservation
Two Conservation Technicians, plus student assistants, are responsible for conservation treatment of the general circulating collections, including in-house pamphlet, spiral, and wire bindings; double fan adhesive binding; spine repair; endsheet replacement; rebacking and recasing with original or new boards. The same staff are also responsible for the construction of custom made preservation enclosures for fragile or special collections materials, documents, and manuscripts; and the encapsulation of flat materials.
During the past five years non-circulating collections which have received significant attention include 1) the George Kelley Paperback and Pulp Fiction Collection (enclosures made for periodicals; books rehoused into acid-free trays); 2) Joseph H. Brennan Collection of early metallurgical publications (enclosures); 3) Orthodox Catholic Alliance Collection (enclosures); 4) a very extensive collection of NASA technical reports bound in groups (disbound and then individual titles tape bound); and 5) a significant number of late 19th century New York State documents (enclosures).
For the period 1999/2004 the average annual preservation/conservation activity was as follows:Level 1 conservation treatment : 2,000
Level 2 conservation treatment : 4,000
Level 3 conservation treatment : 600
Unbound sheets given conservation treatment : 8,000
Non-paper items given conservation treatment : 20
Number of protective enclosures constructed : 600Reformatting
As of 1998, a full-time manager operates the day-to-day activities of the reformatting operation. A Xerox DocuTech Model 135 Publisher, which integrates the three advanced technologies of digital scanning, laser imaging, and xerography, is used to provide superior image quality of deteriorated, brittle books. A Savin photocopier is also used.
During the past five-year period the average number of titles photocopied annually was 500 books. Special reformatting projects included 1) newspaper articles from records of the Ecumenical Task Force of Niagara Frontier reformatting to acid-free paper); 2) oversized music scores were copied and pamphlet bound; and 3) brittle volumes of the 1890, 1900, and 1910 U.S. census of population (photocopied including replacement of colored maps and charts).
Microfilming services have been provided by Preservation Resources, Inc. and Challenge Industries. A total of 175 volumes were microfilmed during the past five years. Titles microfilmed were Buffalo Medical Journal (mid-1800s to early 1900s) and the newspaper of legal record for Buffalo and Erie County the Buffalo Law Journal and its predecessor Buffalo Daily Law Journal (early 1900s to date).
Digital imaging operations were begun in 1998 with Library Services and Technology Act funds received by the Western New York Library Resources Council and made available through a contractual arrangement between the Council and the University Libraries. This arrangement permitted the University Libraries to digitize portions of the Love Canal Collection and the Rudy Bruner Award for Excellence in the Urban Environment entries. Currently, digital imaging activities are funded by the University Libraries regular budget.
Through digitization for UBdigit the University Libraries will provide electronic versions of unique and fragile material which will help to protect the original items.
Training and Education
During the current five year period a general overview of preservation activities was presented for all staff. A more detailed presentation was made for unit library directors.
During the past five years preservation staff have assumed significant responsibility for the preparation of exhibits. This has resulted in improved procedures for protecting materials being displayed. In 2003 an extensive exhibit on book damage and conservation was curated and mounted in Lockwood Library by one of the conservation technicians.
Preservation staff took advantage of numerous training opportunities during the past five years. These include workshops in the Buffalo area, Rochester, Toronto, and a Cornell University the Northeast Document Conservation Center on topics such as bookbinding, book repair, disaster recovery, and the proper handling of material used in exhibits. A representative was sent to 2003 ARL/LC conference on audio preservation held at the University of Texas.
Environmental Controls and Monitoring
Through the combined efforts of the preservation program and University Facilities UV sleeves have been placed on light fixtures and there has been a general reduction in the number of fluorescent bulbs used in library locations. The University has expended considerable resources in upgrading air conditioning equipment and installing new air returns in several library facilities.
The Associate Vice President for University Libraries has had no success in exempting most library space from campus heating and cooling policies. Established by the University as part of a comprehensive energy-saving initiative, these policies call for maintaining different levels of heating and cooling when buildings are not occupied. The only library space currently exempt from the heating and cooling policies is that housing Special Collections. In 2004 air and humidity controls for the Special Collections were replaced; proper conditions are now maintained at all times.
History of Program Development--Standards
We contract for microfilming services with vendors adhering to current standards, and in preparing materials for microfilming the University Libraries adhere to the “Guidelines for Preservation Photocopying”, Subcommittee on Preservation Photocopying Guidelines, Reproduction of Library Materials Section Copying Committee, Association for Library Collections and Technical Services as published in the Library Resources & Technical Services, volume 38, number 3, July 1994, p.288-292.
A series of standards have been developed for the capture and storage of images used for UBdigit. These standards address resolution, long depression, bit depth, long dimension, bit depth, file type, and compression for three categories of images for presentation and archival storage.
History of Program Development--Staffing
During its initial operation, the Center for Book Preservation was staffed by student assistants under the direction of the Preservation Officer and a full time conservation technician. Within several years it became apparent that this staffing arrangement was inadequate to fully service the needs of the University Libraries. In addition, high student turnover and repeated intensive training and supervision proved to be cost ineffective.
In early 1989 the Center established and successfully filled a second full-time conservation technician position in order to reduce its heavy reliance on a part-time student assistant workforce. The three years that followed provided a stable staffing level at the Center.
In 1992 the department reevaluated its staffing needs and determined that a total of three conservation technician positions would be funded. In efforts to improve services to both unit clients and students, the department began restructuring and implementing a team management approach.
In 1998 responsibility for preservation reformatting was relocated away from the Center for Book Preservation, and for a few years the Center was incorporated into the Central Technical Services Cataloging Department and was staffed by one Library Clerk III (Conservation Manager), two Conservation
Technicians, two Library Clerk Is, and student assistants in the performance of the normal activities of the Center as well as monographic binding and self preparation for newly processed material.
For the last three academic years one of the Conservation Technicians has been on unpaid leave while she completed requirements for the Master of Art Conservation degree from the State University of New York College at Buffalo.
In 2002 the long-time Preservation Officer accepted an invitation to work in another area of the University Libraries. Since that time staffing in the preservation program has consisted of two Conservation Technicians and one Reformatting Technician, part of the time of a Library Clerk engaged in preparing material for the anticipated storage facility, and student assistants. The Technicians have reported to the Director of Central Technical Services in his capacity as Acting Preservation Officer. Recruitment for a new Preservation Officer began in late 2004.
During the 2005-10 period we plan to use all of the $126,000 annual allocation to support the salaries of technicians and pay the hourly wages of student assistants.
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INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
The University at Buffalo Libraries will continue to provide a significant amount of institutional support to supplement the annual state supported funding of $126,000. The salary of the Preservation Officer is funded by the University Libraries. Also, library staff who engage in commercial binding or rebinding preparations at the Health Sciences, Music, Law Libraries as well as in Central Technical Services; collection development officers who screen brittle materials before any conservation activity takes place, curators of special collections, and administration staff who set direction and assist in overseeing the preservation program are paid from the University Libraries’ regular budget. The University Libraries also pay all charges for commercial binding and rebinding; the purchase of new copies, editions, or microforms acquired to replace damaged or brittle books; and for the space occupied by and services provided to all preservation/conservation activities. All general office supplies and equipment is provided by the University Libraries.
Likewise, the University Libraries support the preservation photocopy program by purchasing supplies (toner, developer, etc.) and the maintenance contract for the Xerox DocuTech Model 135 Publisher.
All staff and equipment costs associated with the creation of digital collections are assumed by the University Libraries. Except for the three technician positions, the salaries of all staff who serve on the Preservation Council or the University Libraries Disaster Prevention, Response, and Recovery Team are paid from the University Libraries regular budget.
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FIVE-YEAR GOALS
GENERAL STATEMENT
The principle which governed the development of goals in 1984 for the first five-year plan is valid today. We still believe that all collections in the University Libraries should benefit from the New York State preservation funding. That principle and the recommendations which resulted from the 2003 program review guided the development of goals for 2005-10.
The infrastructure for collections conservation, including the three components of identification, selection, and treatment, is firmly in place. In previous five-year periods we focused on increasing the range, complexity, and volume of in-house conservation treatments and on making progress towards a Libraries-wide policy on brittle books and on reassessing workflows so that services could be delivered more efficiently and expanded treatment and reformatting options could be provided. For 2005-10 we are reconfirming basic goals from our current plan while introducing new goals in support of a refocusing of our program more toward specialized collections.
GOALS
Promoting the Role of Preservation: Education and Awareness, and Involvement
Instill in all members of the University Libraries staff that preservation is a vital activity within the Libraries.
We plan to accomplish this by promoting the idea that preservation should be the concern of all University Libraries staff and that there is a relationship between preservation and other activities and services of the Libraries, by promoting the central role of preservation in University Libraries’ programs and initiatives by including representation from the preservation program on standing and ad-hoc groups, by using the preservation website and University and local media to promote the role and accomplishments of the preservation program, and by marketing the preservation program to the School of Informatics.
We will also establish annual operational goals while working collaboratively to establish preservation policies across the organization and by having preservation staff and the members of the Preservation Council work together prior to the beginning of each of the five years to establish annual, highly specific goals and objectives. Each year these goals and objectives will form the basis for the annual state aid application.
We hope to establish and maintain relationships with staff at major educational and cultural institutions in the region which have similar conservation concerns: the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo and Erie and County Historical Society, the Art Conservation Department at Buffalo State, the UB Art Galleries, and others.
We be also be exploring innovative uses of state funding, including fostering collaborations that expand the scope of preservation to include new partnerships with museum and other cultural institutions, and new proposals to maximize the strength of collections and staff resources shared among regional institutions.
Commercial Binding
Continue to follow appropriate standards in the binding and rebinding of material.
We plan to achieve this by continuing to introduce new staff to these standards and to review the standards with existing staff.
Conservation--Identification of Material
Examine all material in non-circulating specialized collections for conservation treatment.
First, we plan to establish guidelines as to the types of material to be considered as special collections.
We then plan to utilize existing instruments or developing new ones to examine each category of material. The result will be documentation on the number of items by material type, condition of items, and selected conservation procedure.
Continue to actively identify damaged material at circulation points, during shelving, and during the performance of various technical services activities.
We plan to achieve this by developing a formal training program for student assistants in staff in circulation areas on the proper way to handle and store books and other library materials and how those materials can be harmed by improper handling.
Continue collection development staff's identification and review of damaged material.
We plan to achieve this by encouraging collection development staff to maintain a schedule for reviewing damaged material, by relying on the results of a collection condition survey to establish priorities.
Conservation--Response to Damaged Material
Continue to provide timely, cost-effective, in-house conservation treatment of damaged material through the Center for Book Preservation.
We plan to achieve this in several ways.
By reducing the staff costs associated with the repair of routine circulating material by maximizing rebinding and the use of pre-formed preservation enclosures and other cost-saving supplies, and the purchase of replacement copies.
By utilizing students to repair or enclose routine material, freeing full time staff to perform more advanced conservation procedures, including the treatment of rare and other specialized materials and material in non-print formats.
By using the preservation web site as a tool for unit liaisons seeking illustrations and explanations of conservation procedures, descriptions of special projects, and the status of unit material which has been sent to the Center for Book Preservation.
By identifying or developing web-based instruction for basic repair techniques to lessen the training burden on Center staff.
Continue to develop the Center staff's technical expertise in conservation techniques and the staff's independent selection of appropriate treatment techniques for damaged material.
We plan to achieve this by having staff take advantage of training opportunities at the state and national levels. Establishing an in-house training program for students working in the Center for Book Preservation which utilizes material on the preservation web site and direct instruction.
Preservation Reformatting of Deteriorated or Fragile Materials
To replace the current Xerox DocuTech printer with new networked equipment which can also be used for digitizing and to place reformatting equipment in the Special Collections unit.
We plan to achieve this by investigating the full range of equipment and by testing select machines.
To continue to preserve circulating and specialized collections through preservation photocopying.
We plan to achieve this by exploring ways to increase productivity in the preservation photocopy program through the use of different levels of staff, extended hours of operation, and upgraded training.
To expand the scope of the reformatting program
We plan to do this by establishing and implement guidelines to facilitate the application of reformatting options and by clarifying guidelines for preservation procedures and guidelines for collection development.
We also plan to identify materials and groups of materials that will serve as the basis for collection and project-based reformatting programs.
We will also explore outsourcing as a secondary option for preservation photocopying, including the possibility of creating or purchasing a digital copy with each photocopy to ensure maximum flexibility and accessibility now and into the future.
We will also accomplish this by establishing guidelines for determining when to purchase a replacement copy instead of using repair or reformat, and establish a fund to be used for the purchase of replacement copies.
To continue to preserve brittle material through preservation microfilming.
We plan to achieve this by identifying sets of multi-volume works which would be suitable for microfilming and by using microfilming as the preferred means of providing access to selected non-commercial newspapers published locally.
We will investigate the feasibility of outsourcing some categories of scanning operations and utilizing preservation staff time for project management and for addressing challenges of preserving material in digital format.
We will be an active participant in the development and implementation of the digital image initiative, UBdigit.
Training and Education
To continue our efforts to promote preservation within the Libraries and the University.
We plan to do this by providing annual tours of the Center for Book preservation and tours at other times upon request and by including a session on proper preservation practices in a Libraries’ orientation program.
By speaking annually to the introductory course in library science about what the program encompasses.
We also plan to support one to three student assistant positions annually for students in the Department of Library and Information Studies.
Environmental Conditions within the Libraries
To continue work toward the improvement of environmental conditions.
We plan to achieve this by making the members of the Preservation Council more aware of environmental conditions which are hazardous to library materials, by conducting periodic environmental audits and providing follow-up training on how to correct problems, and by seeking the direct involvement of appropriate staff in University Facilities.
Disaster Prevention, Response, and Recovery
To continue efforts to prevent disasters from occurring.
We plan to use experts from outside the University Libraries to advise on the status of fire suppression systems in special collections areas.
We also plan an ongoing initiative within the University Libraries Disaster Prevention, Response, and Recovery Team to develop a disaster prevention checklist and to institute hazard audits.
To be prepared to respond to disasters affecting library collections.
We plan to achieve this by conducting disaster response and recovery drills. We will also continue to maintain appropriate supplies centrally and at individual library sites.
We also plan to pursue possibilities for outsourcing disaster recovery operations.
To maintain a current disaster manual.
We plan to achieve this by having the University Libraries Disaster Prevention, Response, and Recovery Team conduct semi-annual reviews of the University at Buffalo Libraries Disaster Prevention, Response, and Recovery Manual Interest in Participating in Grants
We plan to use our new focus on specialized collections and the placement of the program in the Special Collections unit to maximize opportunities for grant funding.
We plan to emphasize for external funding projects which preserve and/or reformat unique material such as manuscripts, archival records, photographs, and audio and video recordings including motion pictures.
1985/86 Student and Institutional Publications Cooperative Microfilming Project 1987/88 County Atlas Preservation Project 1991/92 Preservation of Twentieth Century Political Pamphlets Microfilming Project 1991/92 Symposium on Prospective Preservation Microfilming: Issues and Challenges 1991/92 Music Manuscript and Archives Microfilming Project 1992/93 Symposium on the Future Role and Mission of the Eleven Comprehensive Research Libraries 1992/93 New York State Architectural Records Needs Assessment Project: A Blueprint for Action 1992/93 Preserving and Making Accessible Material through Digital Technology: A Cooperative Demonstration Project 1992/93 Cooperative Mass Deacidification Seminar 1993/94 New York State Preservation Internship 1994/95 Enclosures and Air Pollution in Image Preservation (a research and development project to investigate effects of pollutants at ambient indoor concentrations on both color and black and white photographic material, especially microfilm) 1994/95 New York State Coordinated Science Serials Microfilming Project (funding provided to microfilm brittle serials in the areas of mathematics, physics, astronomy, and chemistry) 1994/95 Digital Training for Preservation Administrators (funded a one-week training seminar for representatives from the eleven comprehensive research libraries on the use of digital technology for preservation reformatting) 1995/96 New York State Coordinated Science Serials Microfilming Project: Phase II 1996/97 Evaluating the Use of Kodak Photo CD Technology for Preservation and Making available Research Materials 1997/99 Basic Care and Management of Sound Recordings: A Series of Six Regional Workshops
1999/00 Cooperative Serials Microfilming Project 2000/01 Remote Monitoring of Temperature and Relative Humidity 2001/03 Cooperative Serials Microfilming Project 2002/04 New York State Coordinated Project for the Preservation of Maps 2004/05 Brittle East Asian Periodicals Microfilming Project
SUNY University Centers Historic Scrapbook Microfilming Project