Food for Thought from the Library of Congress

The Signal is a fantastic new digital preservation blog by the Library of Congress. It’s only been operating for a few months, but they’ve already had some really great posts on various digital preservation topics, including this one on the challenges posed by creating a digital time capsule.

This is a really interesting conundrum, and one that most people probably wouldn’t think about unless they happened to be building a time capsule (and when’s the last time you did that?). So let’s imagine that Dartmouth College wanted to create a time capsule of the year 2011, to be opened in 2061. What would we want to include in such a capsule? For starters, we might want to include video or audio footage of this year’s commencement address by Conan O’Brien. We’d probably include pictures and maybe the poster from this year’s Winter Carnival. How about press releases from campus events? What about a working copy of the soon-to-be-departed Blitzmail system?

Now, as The Signal’s blog post asks, how would you ensure that these items will be usable in 50 years? All of these objects originated in digital form...even the posters would have been created on a computer. Some, like the posters and the photographs, could be printed for easy encapsulation. Others, like the video and the Blitzmail software, would present a much greater challenge.

You could burn the video to a DVD, but the life expectancy of even the best-quality DVDs is only 20-30 years when stored under ideal environmental conditions. Can we guarantee that our time capsule will remain at 77 degrees and 50% relative humidity until it’s opened? And even if we can, what if DVDs are completely replaced by Blu-Ray or some other new technology by the year 2061? Such things have happened before.

The software offers a real challenge, though. Do you simply save a copy of the installation disc, and hope that it will be readable by the computers of 2061? Do you save an entire working computer and just hope that it will still function properly after not having been touched for 50 years? Neither one of these seems like an ideal solution.

I certainly don’t have answers to these massively complex digital preservation questions. The Signal offers some good suggestions for managing time capsule files though, so be sure to check out the blog. And if you have any ideas, please share them in the comments! Collaboration is the key to digital preservation success.

Written by Helen Bailey

Scrubba-Dub-Dub

Every time it's my turn to write a blog post I can't help but feel mystified by a technique that I've learned while here at Dartmouth. 'But Beth,' I hear your cry, 'how can there really be something that amazing every month?!' I promise you, I can explain no further than 'there just is!'

This month's new trick of the trade is something I love to tell my friends and family about because it makes their jaws drop. It made mine drop too, the first time I saw this done! Washing paper. That's right, dear readers, I've spent numerous hours this week scrubbing 1800's dirt and grit out of the pores of paper. Now don't get me wrong, this isn't for all paper. We spent a lot of time making sure the ink wasn't going to bleed or run or act strange when introduced to water and here in Dartmouth's Preservation Services, we have a SUPER WATER FILTER that removes everything except two atoms of hydrogen and one of oxygen, I'm talking about H2O, ladies and gentlemen.

A quick word of caution: The following conservation treatment was performed under the direction of a trained conservator. Please do not attempt to put valuable paper materials in a bath without guidance from an expert. If you want to practice this nifty process, we ask that you use discarded items such as yesterday's newspaper. For treatment of artwork, historical materials, or treasured family documents, please consult a qualified conservation professional. Thanks! Now back to the post...

There is something oh-so-strange about dipping and submerging a piece of newsprint paper from 1800's in a bath of water, but you get used to it! This particular volume had a lot of glue and over-sewing so when we took it out of its binding, it wouldn't lay flat! After some deliberation, Deborah Howe (Conservator) decided that the fastest and safest way to remove all the glue would be to wash each folio. And that's where I come in!

Before I can start introducing paper to water, I have to make sure everything is ready to go to assembly-line the process. With a lot of glue to clean off, the more streamline the easier it is on me and my schedule! So that being said, I draw up a bath of the filtered water, and introduce a little bit of Isopropyl alcohol. The Isopropyl will help open the pores of the newsprint up so that the water can get in and the dirt can get out. Then I fill up a kettle of just the filtered water and heat it up just below boiling and pour that into the bath until the bath is more warm than it is cold. The heat just helps the glue loosen up faster. I mean, come on, I don't have all day to be scrubbin' this paper down.

Finally, it's time to begin! Each folio is opened flat on a sheet of Hollytex and sprayed down with the filtered water (otherwise known as 'wetted-out') so that we don't shock the paper when it's introduced to the bath. Then, carefully, I grab the diagonal corners and dip the Hollytex and folio into the water. Slowly with my hands I "walk" from the edges of the paper toward the middle to allow the water to cover the folio completely. Once the folio is submerged we do it again! I keep piling them in until I run out of room or Hollytex, whichever comes first.

Now there are about 20 to 30 folios in one bath, I let it sit for about 7 minutes, after which I go back and stick my hands in and agitate the water. This simply means gently pressing the folios down and tapping lightly to move the water around in the bath and between each layer. Then I repeat one more time.

By now the water in the bath is getting a little dark, and that's not doing anyone any good. So by applying pressure to one corner of the stack I can hold them in place while I dump the water. After it's all poured out, I fill the bath back up but with just water this time. Let sit for 15 minutes, and now it's time to remove the items!

When there's glue involved it takes a little longer because for each issue I need to examine the fold and sometimes literally scrub the glue off. EWWW!!!

Or sometimes I have to put stuck text back in place. I've even had to peel off old repairs that are hindering rather than helping. Below is a sequence of photos showing the issue that is stuck to itself, making the text un-readable. I used my spatula to ease the chunk of text off one side and back to the other, eventually separating the two sides from one another.

Once the issue has had alien items removed from it, I carefully grab hold of the paper and the Hollytex at one end and pull up slowly, making sure nothing loose is going to fall off. Once out of the water, I tip it a little to allow for the water to run off. I then place it on a piece of blotter, and pat it down with another piece of blotter. Then holding on to the diagonal corners again I can carry it to the drying rack. Repeat until everything is out and drying!

As I pass the torch of Blog Wrangler to Helen Bailey, dear readers, I just wanted to say 'Thank you' for a great run and keep tuning in. And that, my friends, is all she wrote.

Last Post Written by the one and only Beth Hetland

Still Sewing After All These Years: From Hawatha to History of Beasts

My colleague at Northwestern recently sent me this photo (above). It was taken around 1986 or 1987 soon after I arrived at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois. The other day, as I was sewing the History of Beasts book, I felt frozen in time, thinking how some things never change.

But change they have. One of the most rewarding aspects of being in the conservation field for such a long time is the enjoyment of retrospection and looking at all the changes that have happened over the past years. All the talented people I have worked with at the beginning of their careers are now the ones I go to for help, information and inspiration. The generous people I have studied with are now part of a professional network that I can easily access for problem solving as well as sharing techniques and practices. These people have now become a reliable resource of colleagues and close friends.

From this vast community, there are always new things to learn, new perspectives on treatment options and of course new people to meet. I get to work with curators, book artists, students and coworkers all who all contribute to an enriching growing and learning dynamic. What more could one ask for?

In June, I was in Philadelphia and was treated to three wonderful tours of Conservation Labs. The Conservation Center for Historical Art and Artifacts, The American Philosophical Society, and The Library Company of Philadelphia where Jennifer Rosner, Head of Conservation, showed me some beautiful veneer bindings in their collection that she is doing some research on.

So change or no change, I feel fortunate to be part of a professional field where people are consistently generous and change is for the good.

Written by Deborah Howe

Learning New Things-- The 2011 Digital Preservation Management Workshop

I recently attended the ICPSR Digital Preservation Management workshop, held in June at SUNY Albany. This amazing course is a jam-packed five-day program on the intricacies of developing and managing a digital preservation program within a library or archive setting. No small task, but the amazing instructional team led by Nancy McGovern and Kari Smith was certainly up to the challenge.

The workshop actually started several weeks prior to the first day, with some pre-requisite “homework” to build a good foundation in core digital preservation concepts. If you’re seriously interested in digital preservation and you haven’t read these documents, do so immediately! Yes, some of them are very long and detailed, but this is important stuff and it’s well worth the time.

• Reference Model for an Open Archival Information System (OAIS)
• Trusted Digital Repositories: Attributes and Responsibilities
• Sustainable Economics for a Digital Planet: Ensuring Long-Term Access to Digital Information. Final Report of the Blue Ribbon Task force on Sustainable Digital Preservation and Access
• And of course, the ICPSR Digital Preservation Management Tutorial

I had already read these documents, some of them in great detail with a highlighter, and some of them with just a quick skim, so this was a nice refresher on some of the concepts we need to focus on as we build our digital preservation infrastructure.

I got so much out of this workshop that it’s hard to pare down my notes (see picture below of the giant binder-o-information we received on day one).

But if I had to sum it up in a sentence, I’d say the most useful outcome (other than meeting a bunch of really great digital archivists and librarians) was that I now have enough information to formulate a plan. We’ve been talking for a while about what we need to have to support digital preservation; now we know how to get there.

And, in addition to the awesome binder-o-information, I now have a full-color composite model of the OAIS Functional Entities that lives on the wall above my desk.

Nerdy, yes, but I love that I can look at it every day and see the ultimate goal right in front of me.

Written by Helen Bailey

Adios & Happy Trails!

Sad news around the bunk house. Our Blog Wrangler, Beth Hetland, is heading west to a new job. Beth will be returning to her alma mater, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago to teach comic art!

Beth has been the energy behind our blog, pushing us to meet deadlines so that we could have something fresh to post each week. Without Beth riding herd our good intentions to write up impressions of a conference or to share a conservation technique we'd wander astray.

Not too worry folks, a new Wrangler is taking over and I know she'll keep us moving. Helen Bailey, Preservation Specialist (and author of a dang good five part digital preservation series) is climbing into the saddle.

August 5 is Beth's last day and we wish her all the best.

Happy trails, Beth, until we meet again!

Written by Barb Sagraves

Visit to Readex!

A few weeks ago the Serial Set team here at Dartmouth went down to Chester, Vermont for our annual Serial Set Project meeting and got to spend most of the day with our partners at Readex! I was able to go down in November shortly after I started here in Preservation Services, but this was Elizabeth Rideout's first visit. So we got to go on a nice tour.

At any given time, Readex is undergoing several different projects, while working toward putting out into the world an assortment of databases jam-packed with information from a variety of sources. My particular interest with Readex is with the U.S. Congressional Serial Set, as this is the set of books that myself and Ms. Rideout work on. So while Readex has many different aspects of production, I'm going to focus selfishly on what I consider to be my favorite.

Readex Operations, disguised by a humble New England exterior, but what lies behind these walls is nothing short of astounding. Pictured from left to right Elsa Lamphere (my direct contact at Readex), Elizabeth Rideout (my partner in crime), Deborah Howe (the chief, directly oversees any and all repairs by Elizabeth and me), and Vicky Gardner (Vice President, Editorial).

After some warm 'Hellos' we're taken into the depths of the Readex production line. This is where the process starts.

A temperature and humidity controlled holding room for the Serial Set to rest in while they wait to be scanned, packed or double checked. Each truck arrives, is checked in and is assigned a special number that only Readex knows.

Elsa explains to Elizabeth the way that each volume is flagged and tagged throughout the scanning process. (Look at all those Serial Set books in the back ground! Readex sure is working hard!)

Once the Serial Set volumes are flagged and given their unique ID numbers, they are scanned, one page at a time by an incredible piece of technology! A KIRTAS Machine! (Watch this amazing video to see how it actually moves! Video NOT taken at Readex)

The technician places the volume in the machine and lines up the clamps just right, this way the machine can do its thing without a lot of re-adjusting and without damaging the book.

The machine then takes over for the most part. There is a vacuum arm (with yellow around the edge) that reaches over and turns the pages, at the top of the machine is a camera and two mirrors that photographs each page when the book is open. The cradle that the book is resting in is adjustable and the technician does just that as the pages are turned and weight is distributed differently. This prevents any stress on the spine as well as unnecessary strain on the shoulders and boards of the volume. There are several other features that the Kirtas utilizes to keep the process going smoothly including a small air jet called a 'fluffer' that blows to keep the pages from sticking to each other, small clear clamps that hold the book open, and direct download to a computer as the machine photographs.

The following is the sequence as the machine turns a page!

After the volumes are scanned, the images are checked by technicians for quality control. Sometimes there's a hand in the scan, sometimes they missed a page, or sometimes the camera just didn't photograph the right side. Once all the images are okay, they send these to the Index-ers. These folks READ all of the Serial Set books and index the content! Incredible! The product goes through several more steps to insure its accuracy and usability, and then it's released to the customers.

Thank you so much for the tour, Readex! As always, we here at Dartmouth had a wonderful time.

Photos and Writing by Beth Hetland