Thursday, April 25, 2013

Preservation Week


 
 
Did you know that Preservation Week was created in 2010 by the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) to bring attention to the millions of times in various institutions that required immediate attention and care.    ALCTS is a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

Help support Preservation Week, April 21 – 27 2013, by enjoying some books that feature conservation or preservation in the story.  The display at the top of the stairs at MRL’s Main Branch has a variety of items from our collection from which to choose.  Also check out the Genealogy Room at the back of Reference.  Enjoy books on local families or about our local area.  Feel free to ask a librarian for more information on anything in our collection.  Below are some facts about the status of Preservation in our nation’s institutions.  For more information about how to preserve your own treasures follow this link http://www.atyourlibrary.org/passiton.
 
Preservation Fast Facts:
  •  More than 4.8 Billion Artifacts are held in public trust by more than 30,000 archives, historical societies, libraries, museums, scientific research collections, and archealogical repositories in the United States.  1.3 billion of these items are at risk of being lost.
  • Roughly 70% of institutions need additional conservation/preservation training for their staff and volunteers.
  • A majority of collecting institutions, more than 80 percent, do not have a disaster plan in place that can be executed by trained staff.
  • Nearly a quarter of all the 21million paintings, sculptures, and works of decorative art in U.S. collections need conservation treatment or improved care and conditions.
  • More than 50 percent of collecting institutions have had their collections damaged by light.
  • More than 65% of collecting instituions report damage to their collections due to improper storage.
Source: "A Public Trust at Risk: The Heritage Health Index Report on the State of America's Collections," Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/preserv/tops/laise/index.html
 
  
 
 
 

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