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2011 Project Updates

December 2011

The online “Caring for Collections” resource is now available on the Preservation Advisory Centre’s website here: www.bl.uk/blpac/induction.html The resource is aimed at any library staff who handle books and documents. It provides an overview of how to care for the books and documents in library collections and why this is important.

The resource has eleven sections:

The importance of caring for collections
Deterioration and damage
Handling books
Transporting books
Copying books
Storing books
Environmental conditions
Mould
Pests
Security
Disasters and salvage

Each section includes information and photographs to guide you as well as quizzes and tasks. A set of key points and links to additional information is also included. The resource does not have to be completed in one session, it is possible to leave the resource at any point and return to it later.

A workbook has been designed to be used alongside the resource. The workbook contains a summary of the tasks, key points and links to additional information from each section along with space for notes.

The resource has been developed as part of the joint preservation learning programme by RLUK and the British Library Preservation Advisory Centre. We would like to thank all those who have helped in its development.

September 2011

Thank you to everyone who responded to the recent RLUK/Preservation Advisory Centre survey on preservation. The information from this is informing the planning for an event focussing on the relationship between the approach to preservation and conservation and the wider context of strategies for collection management. The event is now planned to take place on 3 February 2012, more details will be available in November.

Bookings are now being taken for the remaining courses in the joint RLUK/Preservation Advisory Centre preservation programme:

Disaster response and salvage, 16 January 2012, London
Disaster response and salvage, 7 February 2012, Manchester
Damaged books: first practical steps, 7 March 2012, London

Further details on each of the courses can be found on the Preservation Advisory Centre’s events page: http://www.bl.uk/blpac/events.html

July 2011

RLUK and the British Library have been jointly funding the three-year Preservation Learning Project since April 2009.  A recurring theme throughout has been the need for libraries to consider the relationship between their approach to preservation and conservation and the wider context of their overall strategy for collection management.  The Project will be organising an event for RLUK members focussing on this relationship in November 2011 and have circulated a survey to inform the event.  The survey also provides an opportunity to take stock as the Project enters its final phase.

Work is continuing on the development of an online induction resource ‘Caring for Collections’.  The aim of the induction is to build a culture of care for collections by giving an overview of why collection care is important and information on how to care for physical library and archive items.  A working group has contributed to the content of the induction which includes information on deterioration and damage can be caused through using and storing books as well as suggestions for how this can be prevented.  The resource will be available in autumn 2011.

March 2011

Can you help us to decide where to hold some of the RLUK/Preservation Advisory Centre autumn courses?  We would like to be able to help you by holding some of our courses outside London to ease your travel time and costs.  We know that the autumn seems a long way off, but, we would like to finalise the arrangements by the end of April 2011 so that you can see the full range of what will be available until the end of the learning programme in March 2012.  

To voice your opinion (and have the chance of the courses you would like to attend being as near to you as possible), please email alison.faraday@bl.ukby 31/03/11 to let us know if you are interested in one or more of the three courses we are focusing on: Preservation Basics, Preservation Policies and Disaster Response and Salvage indicating your preferred location for each.

February 2011
 

We are now planning the autumn 2011 course programme, the Preservation Basics and Preservation Policies courses will be run outside London.  We are planning to run two more Disaster Response and Salvage courses in early 2012, one of these will be in London and one will be outside London.  If you are interested in attending any of the courses to be run outside London please email alison.faraday@bl.ukas this will help us to decide on the locations for these courses. 

The first draft of the online induction course in collection care for library staff has gone to the working group for comments.  Many thanks to the working group for their assistance with developing the course.

The Tools for Prioritizing Collection Care course is taking place in Birmingham on 22 March.  More information and the booking form can be found here:  http://www.bl.uk/blpac/prioritize.html

RLUK and the British Library are jointly funding a Preservation Training Coordinator post from 2009 to 2012 based at the BL Preservation Advisory Centre.

January 2011

Towards the end of 2010, a personalised follow up questionnaire was sent to all those who had attended the RLUK/Preservation Advisory Centre training events up to July 2010.  The response to this was very good with 41% of the questionnaires returned.  The information gathered is being used to evaluate the longer term impact of the programme and also to inform future training events.  Many thanks to all those who returned their questionnaire.

Work is progressing on the online induction course in collection care for library staff.  Software for authoring the course is being investigated and content drafted.

Courses for February and March include Handling for Digitisation and Tools for Prioritizing Collection Care, more information on these and other courses can be found here:  http://www.bl.uk/blpac/events.html  

December     2010

This autumn, we repeated two of the courses that had run earlier in the year.  The Preservation Policies course was led by Jonathan Rhys-Lewis and included information on the purpose and benefits of a preservation policy and what to include – participants found this session to be particularly useful.  There was also the opportunity to examine and discuss examples of preservation policies written by a variety of organisations.

The Damaged Books and Bound Archives: First Practical Steps course was led by Caroline Bendix and included information on the different types of damage that can occur and how to prevent these.  Participants were able to practice using tying tapes correctly and also made a protective MelinexTM book jacket.

Work is progressing on an online induction course in collection care for library staff.  A small working group met in November to discuss the topics to be included in the course.  The course content is now being drafted.

Courses for January and February include Preservation Basics, Approaches to Digitisation and Handling for Digitisation, more information on these and other courses can be found here:  http://www.bl.uk/blpac/events.html  

November 2010

We are continuing to establish the longer term impact of the training courses that are run as part of the RLUK/BL Preservation Advisory Centre programme (i.e. what difference they make to people’s day-to-day jobs).  A short personalised questionnaire is sent to those who came on courses to find out how they have used what they learnt, and who else they are sharing the information with.  So far, follow up questionnaires have been sent to those who attended the winter Disaster Response and Salvage training courses; questionnaires will soon be sent to those who attended other courses held in Spring 2010.  We have had a fantastic response rate of 38% so far, and are grateful for the thoughtful and thorough answers to our questions which are extremely helpful to us.

 September 2010

On 6 September 91 delegates came to the Wellcome Collection for our conference ‘Dare to share: new approaches to long-term collections management’.  The day was very successful with some interesting presentations which discussed issues of hybrid collections; collection strengths and the ongoing need for print collections.   A number of themes emerged from the conference including the building of trust; digitisation of holdings and whether in fact we dare not to share? 

The event’s twitter hashtag #daretoshare proved very successful, with 137 tweets about the conference, including many retweets form people who could not attend on the day.

Copies of the presentations from the day can be found on the Preservation Advisory Centre webpages http://www.bl.uk/blpac/dare.html  

August 2010

So far, 210 people have attended the 15 courses that have run as part of the preservation learning programme. Skills and knowledge have been gained; and RLUK members are finding the programme a valuable way to share experience and practice. Courses planned for the autumn include preservation policies; handling for digitisation; and damaged books and bound archives. The next date for diaries is the conference Dare to share: new approaches to long-term collections management taking place on 6 September. Details of all events can be found here: http://www.bl.uk/blpac/events.html

May 2010

The Preservation Learning Programme events for January to March 2010 were well received with positive responses to evaluations. Alison Faraday started in post as Preservation Training Coordinator in March 2010 and is taking the learning programme forward with the following events planned for June and July:

21 June Disaster response and salvage training Oxford

8 July Preservation basic Edinburgh

15 July Introduction to Digitization London

26 July Disaster response and salvage training London

Details of all events and bookings: http://www.bl.uk/blpac/events.html

Previous Preservation Learning Programme events

January - March 2010

14 January Disaster response and salvage. 1/2 day EDINBURGH #

19 January Preservation policies in practice. Training day. LONDON

25 January Disaster response and salvage. 1/2 day LEEDS

23 February Prioritization for preservation, conservation and digitization. LONDON

2 March Damaged books and papers: a practical workshop. LONDON

Details of all events and bookings: www.bl.uk/npo

2009 Project Updates

December 2009

First training sessions of the Learning Programme ran on Disaster response and salvage training. Held at the British Library, the two half-day sessions included a practical salvage exercise. Evaluation responses were very positive. Further courses to run in Edinburgh and Leeds in January. For further details and to book: http://www.bl.uk/npo/salvage.html

November 2009

Results of a survey on preservation training needs made available (see below) dated November 2009.

October 2009

A survey was run, to assess interest in ideas from focus groups and assist in designing the learning programme. The survey was aimed at anyone who has an interest in training to promote preservation, both heritage and circulating collections, in analogue and digital forms.

September 2009

The results of the focus groups are available in a report below, dated September 09.

July 2009

Four focus groups were held in June and July, with invitees from RLUK member libraries. Participants discussed examples of useful preservation-related staff development; examples of preservation problems they had encountered; and their views on training needs for the future.

May 2009

Jane Arthur was appointed to the post in May 2009 to develop and coordinate a preservation learning programme based on the identified needs of RLUK and the UK Higher Education libraries, in collaboration with the sponsors (RLUK and the Library) and the collection care community. Jane comes with a career in university libraries – Leeds, Cranfield, Abertay and Hertfordshire – and a particular interest in collection management.