ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


9 2 /C&RL News

PMC holds first meeting
The P reservation M anagers 
Council of th e Commission 
o n  Preservation an d  Access 
held its first m eeting in O c­
to b er 1992. Members o f the 
council identified tw o major 
topics for future discussion: 
th e  evolving n atu re o f th e 
p re s e rv a tio n  fu n c tio n  a n d  
h o w  it relates to o ther library 
o r institutional functions, and 
e d u c a tio n  for p re se rv a tio n  
adm inistrators an d  staff in ­
volved in large preservation 
program s. The m anagers also indicated inter­
est in discussing preservation concerns w ith 
archivists, as w ell as participating in dev elo p ­
m ent o f the com m ission’s scientific research 
agenda. T he council will hold its next m eeting 
in Spring 1993.

Council m em bers are: Margaret Byrnes (N a­
tional Library o f Medicine), Ellen C unningham - 
K ruppa (University o f Texas, Austin), Richard 
F ried er (N orthw estern U niversity), K en n eth  
Harris (Library o f C ongress), C arolyn Clark 
M orrow  (H arvard University), Barclay O gden 
(University o f California, B erkeley) an d  Chris­
tin e  W ard  (N ew  Y ork S tate A rch iv es a n d  
Records Administration).

Project IBID requests D e p a rtm e n t o f 
Education funds
Project IBID is requesting funds from the U. S. 
D epartm ent of Education for a tw o-year p ro ­
gram  to dem onstrate the use o f digital technol­
og y  fo r o n -d e m a n d  p rin tin g  o f out-of-print 
b o o k s . T h e  g ra n t p r o p o s a l p la n  calls fo r 
bitm apping (using high-resolution scanners) the 
te x ts  o f 250 title s  a n d  p r o d u c i n g  X ero x  
D ocutech copies u p o n  request. The plan is d e ­
signed to test the feasibility o f digital storage 
an d  o n-dem and m arketing of boo k s n e e d e d  
for college collections. Am herst College, the 
College o f Charleston, the S outheastern Library 
N etw ork (SOLINET), an d  the Com m ission on 
P reservation an d  Access are su p p o rtin g  this 
proposal w ith funds and in-kind contributions.

For m ore information ab o u t Project IBID, 
contact the codirectors: Willis Bridegam, Librar­
ian, A mherst College, Amherst, MA 01002 an d  
D avid Cohen, D ean o f Libraries, College o f 
C harleston, Charleston, SC 29424.

Presenation
N ew s

Jane Hedberg

CPA releases p a p e r
In D ecem ber 1992 the Com­
mission o n  Preservation and 
A ccess (CPA) a n n o u n c e d  
release o f A  H ybrid System 
A pproach to Preservation o f  
P rin t Materials, a report on 
th e  in te rre la tio n sh ip s b e ­
tw een microfilm an d  digi­
tal te c h n o lo g ie s u s e d  for 
preservation. T he 68-page 
p a p e r w as w ritten b y  D on 
W illis, v ic e - p r e s i d e n t o f 
Electronic Product Develop­
m ent for University Micro­

films International, in consultation w ith  the 
com m ission’s T echnology Assessm ent an d  Ad­
visory Committee. It includes an exam ination 
o f the advantages, disadvantages, an d  costs of 
micrographics vs. digital im age preservation sys­
tems, plus inform ation o n  the im portance o f 
im age resolution. Willis concludes that a digi­
tal im age-based preservation system is the most 
prom ising solution in the future, b u t that a hy­
brid system  com bining microfilm an d  digital 
im aging m ay b e the best current solution.

C opies o f the report are available for $10.00 
each from the Com m unications Assistant, Com­
mission o n  Preservation an d  Access, 1400 16th 
Street, N.W., Suite 740, W ashington, DC 20036- 
2217. Prepaym ent is required. (Sponsors receive 
all com m ission publications free o f charge.)

E d  note: At the en d  of m y first year as edi­
tor, I w an t to express m y appreciation to ev­
eryone w h o  has so kindly provided items or 
ideas for this colum n. C ontact w ith dedicated 
preservation professionals has m ade this job 
very enjoyable. I also w an t to thank K athleen 
S pencer an d  the m em bers o f th e College Li­
braries Comm ittee at th e CPA for the o p p o rtu ­
nity to w rite th e colum n; Mary Ellen Davis, 
editor o f C&RL News, for excellent a n d  good- 
h u m o red  advice; and, finally, Hilding H edberg, 
assistant director o f the A ttleboro (Mass.) P ub­
lic Library an d  m y husband, for critiquing each 
colum n’s clarity, brevity, an d  syntax. ■

Jane Hedberg prepares this colum n f o r  the College 
Libraries Committee, Commission on Preservation 
a n d  Access. Submissions m ay be m ade via: Internet: 
JHEDBERG&LUCY. WEUESLEY.EDU; f a x  (617) 283- 
3640; or m ail to: Jane Hedberg, Wellesley College 
Library, 106 Central St., Wellesley, MA 02181-8275.

WEUESLEY.EDU