ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries 520 / C&RL News PRESERVATION NEWS Prepared by Barbara Brown College Libraries Committee Commission on Preservation and Access • Evanston, Illinois. In October 1990 the Committee for Institutional Cooperation (CIC) Libraries embarked on a one-year project to ex­ plore the mass deacidification processes and the organizational issues raised by them. A series o f test runs is being conducted to simulate and measure organizational and logistical steps. All known mass deacidification vendors were invited to conduct the test runs, with two choosing to participate. A total o f 1,700 items will be deacidified with the completion o f three test runs. Based on the experience gained in the first two test runs, the third test (now under­ way) will result in each participating library experi­ encing first-hand the organizational issues o f mass deacidification, including selection o f materials, in- house staffing and procedural issues, quality con ­ trol work, and marking or recording treatment. Before the end o f the year, the C IC Task Force on Mass Deacidification plans to issue a document reporting on its activities and making recommenda­ tions. The C IC is an academic consortium o f major midwestem research universities, including the University o f Chicago, the University o f Illinois at Chicago, the University o f Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, the University o f Iowa, Indiana Uni­ versity, the University o f Michigan, Michigan State University, the University o f Minnesota, North­ western University, Ohio State University, Pennsyl­ vania State University, Purdue University, and the University o f Wisconsin-Madison. For further in­ formation, contact Sue Nutty, C IC Mass Deacidi­ fication Coordinator, at (708) 467-1379. • Andover, Massachusetts. The Summer 1991 issue o f the Northeast Document Conservation News contains two practical articles: “ Relaxation o f brittle paper artifacts by humidification” and “A matter o f control— conserving the precious items in your collection involves setting and maintaining an ap­ propriate degree o f climate control, part two.” Single issues may be obtained by writing the Field Services Office, Northeast Docum ent Conserva­ tion Center, 100 Brickstone Square, Andover, MA 01810. • Washington, D .C. A new report from the Commission on Preservation and Access explores the feasibility o f a project to study the means, costs, and benefits o f converting large quantities o f pre­ served library materials from microfilm to digital images. The 41-page report, From Microfilm to Digital Imagery, was developed under contract to the Commission by Donald J. Waters, Head, Sys­ tems Office, Yale University Library. • Cam bridge, Massachusetts. The Harvard University Library Task Group on Collection Pres­ ervation Priorities has published a 74-page report, Preserving Harvard’s Retrospective Collections (April 1991). The publication is the group’s first step towards the development and systemization o f a comprehensive preservation program for Harvard’s library collections. Topics discussed include selec­ tion for preservation action, preservation strategies, and preserving access. The report concludes with a summary o f recommendations, which is intended to suggest priorities and a direction for individual library directors, senior librarians, and university officials. The publication is available for $15.00 from the Harvard University Library Publications Office, 25 Mt. Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. • Lexington, Virginia. The first Preservation Management Seminar for College Libraries was held July 2 0 -2 7 at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. The 16 participants were cho- September 1991 / 521 sen on a competitive application basis, and all serve as the preservation coordinator for their libraries. Prior to the seminar, each had to complete an extensive set o f readings and homework assign­ ments. In 65 hours o f classroom training and small- group working sessions, the seminarprovided train­ ing in preservation management and gave attend­ ees an opportunity to develop specific documents and detailed plans for local use. Planning for the seminar, reported over the past year in this column, was a collaborative venture between the SOLINET Preservation Program and the College Libraries Committee o f the Commis­ sion on Preservation and Access. Partial fundingfor the development o f the seminar was provided by the Commission on Preservation and Access through a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foun­ dation. Initial evaluations o f the seminar, by participants and faculty alike, were very high. A follow-up evaluation will be conducted by the College Librar­ ies Committee in February 1992, in which seminar participants and their library directors will assess the impact o f this training. In October 1991 the College Libraries Committee and SOLINET will determine whether, when, and where to offer the seminar in 1992. The 16 participants and two members o f the College Libraries Committee are shown in the above photo: [left to right]: front row: Kathleen Spencer, chair o f the College Libraries Committee and associate vice president for academic affairs and college librarian, Franklin & Marshall College; Gail Garfinkle, College o f Charleston; Robin Brabham, University o f North Carolina at Char­ lotte; Vicki Stanton, University o f North Florida; Margaret Clerkin, Middlebury College. Second row: Vickie Kline, York College; Catherine Crohan, Siena College; Krista Armstrong, Shenandoah Uni­ versity; Annette Morris, Georgetown University Law Center; Yolanda Warren, Washington & Lee University; Anne Armour, University o f the South; Rebecca Stuhr-Rommereim, Grinnell College. Back row: Barbara Brown, member o f the College Li­ braries Committee and university librarian, Wash­ ington & Lee University; Jane Hedberg, Wellesley College; Michael Sutherland, Occidental College; Ruth Ash, Berry College; Robert Garzillo, Rhode Island School o f Design; Art Bagley, University o f Tampa. Not included are the four faculty members: Charlotte Brown, Franklin & Marshall College; C arol E yler, M ercer University; Lisa Fox, SOLINET; and Carolyn Clark Morrow, Harvard University. ■ ■ Ed. note: Contributions to this column may be sent to Barbara Brown, University Library, Wash­ ington & Lee University, Lexington, VA 24450; FAX (703) 463-8964; e-mail brown.b.j@p9955. wlu.edu MARC Cataloging for Medieval Manuscripts publication available MARC Cataloging for Medieval Manu­ scripts, a special issue o f Rare Books & Manu­ scripts Librarianship, guest-edited by Hope Mayo, has been published by ACRL. This special issue examines the pros and cons o f using the M ARC format for cataloging medieval manuscripts. Hope Mayo, Pierpont Morgan Library, re­ views the present state o f medieval manu­ script cataloging in traditional forms and ex­ amines the advantages and disadvantages o f using the MARC format to organize and com ­ municate the kinds o f information needed by students o f medieval manuscripts. Thomas L. Amos, St. John’s University, describes the active non-MARC database o f medieval manuscripts and outlines efforts to create standards for a census level (or sum­ mary) record for medieval manuscript de­ scriptions. Sara Shatford Layne, UCLA, dis­ cusses her work with the Index o f Medieval Medical Images and explains how she has adapted an ŌCLC-like implementation o f MARC to the needs o f the project. Alexandra Mason, University o f Kansas, comments on using MARC to catalog medieval manuscripts from a the perspective o f a curator responsible for cataloging and reader services in a collec­ tion that includes a number o f medieval manu­ scripts. Single copies o f this issue o f RBML (vol. 6, n o.l) are available for $12.50 from ALA Sub­ scriptions, 50E. Huron St., Chicago, IL60611; (800) 545-2433 ext, 1545.