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Class 6 Lesson Plan
Collections Care

Suggested Readings for Students

General Storage and Handling

National Park Service. Conserve O Grams.

• "Storing Archival Paper-Based Materials," 19/15, 1996.

• "Housing Archival Paper-Based Materials," 19/16, 1996.

• "Handling Archival Documents and Manuscripts," 19/17, 1996.

• "How to Care for Bound Archival Materials," 19/18, 1996.

Northeast Document Conservation Center. Preservation Suppliers and Services.

———. “Section 4: Storage & Handling.” In Preservation of Library and Archival Materials. Andover, Mass.: Northeast Document Conservation Center, 2008.

The leaflets in this section provide guidelines to assist institutions in implementing cost-effective methods for suitable storage and handling of library and archival materials. The leaflets present techniques encouraging proper care for a variety of materials including books, unbound flat paper, oversized collections, newsprint, pamphlets, scrapbooks and ephemera, and photographs.

Holdings and Stacks Maintenance

Higginbotham, Barbara Buckner, and Judith W. Wild. “Circulation and Stack Maintenance.” In The Preservation Program Blueprint. Chicago: American Library Association, 2001, pp. 42–47.

This chapter provides an overview about integrating collections care into circulation and stacks maintenance. Discussing how to examine materials and identify those that require preservation attention, this section introduces a proposed work flow for preservation and techniques to prolong the circulation life of collections.

Ritzenthaler, Mary Lynn. “Preservation of Archival Records: Holdings Maintenance at the National Archives.” Technical Information Paper Number 6, 1990.

This Web site provides an excellent overview of the holdings maintenance program in place at the National Archives. The work describes preservation actions including rehousing and selection of proper storage methods such as boxes, file folders, and appropriate shelving practices that can prolong the life of records.

Staff and User Education

Drewes, Jeanne M., and Julie A. Page, eds. Promoting Preservation Awareness in Libraries. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1997.

This book presents a complete approach to educating library patrons and staff in the preservation of library materials. Including several case studies, the manual illustrates original programming and discusses various methods for incorporating and implementing preservation education throughout the library.

Preservation Education and Awareness for Library Users Web site

Exhibition

National Information Standards Organization (NISO). Environmental Conditions for Exhibiting Library and Archival Materials. ANSI/NISO Standard Z39.79-2001. Bethesda, Md.: NISO Press, 2001.

Pilette, Roberta. “Exhibition Policy and Preparation.” In Preservation: Issues and Planning, edited by Paul N. Banks and Roberta Pilette. Chicago: American Library Association, 2000, pp. 185–205.

Pilette explains the preservation issues involved in planning and mounting an exhibition. This chapter discusses creating and implementing exhibition and loan policies, designing exhibit space, preparing the exhibition, environmental conditions, case design, and display methods.