A Short History of the Project
In December 2004 the Northeast Document Conservation Center, along with Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science, was awarded a three-year grant by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to develop “a preservation curriculum for 21st century librarians.” The aim was to produce, test, and disseminate course materials for an introductory preservation education course for students in MLS and Archives graduate programs. By creating a curriculum that could be used by both established faculty and adjuncts, NEDCC hoped to raise awareness among educators about the importance of offering preservation courses in an ever-evolving digital environment.
Because we recognized the importance of creating consensus about the contents of this course, we convened an advisory committee of educators from across the country. After consulting syllabi from preservation courses at most library schools in the United States and Canada, advisory committee members created a structure for the course, which is based on 13 three-hour classes. Each advisor authored an outline and lesson plan, and provided bibliographic resources, activities, and assignments for each class. Seven teachers were chosen (some on the advisory committee) to test the curriculum in the classroom. Both students and teachers were asked to give feedback about how well the course materials worked for them, and adjustments were made based on this feedback.
NEDCC is proud to present this curriculum free of charge to preservation educators. It is our hope that graduate schools of Library and Information Science will more often incorporate preservation, both of traditional and digital collections, into their course offerings.