Preservation Week Webinars: April 26-May 2, 2015

Preservation Week is an annual celebration to highlight what organizations and individuals can do to preserve collections.  These webinars are available free of charge:

April 28th - Moving Image Preservation 101Sponsored by HF Group & George Blood, LP
This presentation covers the basic composition and history of film and video technology, particularly as it relates to formats found within personal and family collections. Tips and tricks for preserving your personal moving image materials will be addressed so that future generations can continue to enjoy your family movies and videos.
More information: http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/042815

April 30th - Digital Preservation for Individuals and Small GroupsSponsored by Gaylord.
As technology changes, the greatest threat to preserving digital files is obsolescence. Files may get stuck on obsolete media or in some form that may become unusable in time. This webinar can help increase your understanding of what it takes to preserve commonly used digital files such photos, recordings, videos and documents. Learn about the nature of the digital-preservation challenge and hear about some simple, practical tips and tools to help you preserve your digital stuff.
More information: http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/043015

May 1st - Disaster Response Q&A
Once a disaster strikes, the knee-jerk reaction is to rush in and save everything, but racing in without advance planning puts collections at risk of more damage and staff at risk of injury. This session will feature a live question-and-answer session. Participants will have an opportunity to comment on the recording of the 2010 webinar, "Disaster Response" and to ask questions of Nancy Kraft.
More information: http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/050115

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How to Register
There are no fees for these webinars, but you must register online.
For additional information and access to registration links, please go to the following website:
http://www.ala.org/alcts/confevents/upcoming/webinar/042815

ContactFor questions or comments related to registration or the webinars, contact Julie Reese, ALCTS Events Manager at 1-800-545-2433, ext. 5034 or jreese@ala.org.

Thanks to the American Library Association, Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, Continuing Education Committee for this information.

There's an App for That!

Following on the disaster preparedness theme of last week's post, I'd like to highlight an app that is making the library and museum preservation rounds - ERS: the Emergency Response and Salvage App created by Heritage Preservation and the National Center for Preservation Technology and Training(NCPTT).

This handy mobile application is based on the Heritage Preservation Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel and provides easy to follow guidelines for responding to water damage caused by floods, leaks, storms, and fires. The great thing about this app...well, there are many, but one great thing is anyone can download it, thus increasing the chance of getting it quickly into the hands of someone who is in the very early stages of a clean up operation. The app is free and works on iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad devices.

ERS is well organized with easy to understand icons. The brief headings lead you to basic information for disaster preparation (when you know a storm or flood may be coming your way), how to stay safe when assessing the disaster site, and a glossary of salvage techniques to help non-specialists understand the terms used in the recovery guidelines. There is information about handling a wide range of materials including textiles, photographs, books, and computer disks. It even has advice for taxidermy mounts!

The Task Force icon links you to the Disaster Planning and Response resources on the Heritage Preservation website, which contain even more information: experts to call, videos, checklists, and free downloads.

Thank you Heritage Preservation and NCPTT for a terrific app!

Written by Barb Sagraves.

Disaster Planning for Records Management

Recently some members of CART (the library's Collections Action and Response Team) visited the college's Records Management facility. Members of CART have basic training and knowledge in disaster recovery and preparedness, and participate in disaster planning for all library spaces and library storage areas. The group included Preservation Services staff and interns along with CART members from 2 satellite libraries. Our goals for this visit included discussion with Records Management staff to familiarize CART members with the high density storage facility, evaluate the current disaster plan and available resources, brainstorm to anticipate special needs in the event of a disaster, and compile a list of recommended information and items to have on site.

Upon arriving on location and having a brief introduction in the Records Management office, a member of Records Management staff gave a tour of the facility including a walk through the storage shelving, loading areas, and staff offices. Following our tour, we gathered for a group question and discussion session. CART members had many questions which spurred thoughtful discussion. As a result we identified and located items at Records Management that could be useful in a recovery effort, as well as generated a list of additional items to have on hand. Throughout the visit our Recorder kept careful notes, in particular the questions that couldn't be easily answered.

Some things to think about when creating a disaster plan are:

• Who should be notified, and in what order?
• Are there any security concerns? Do the people with security clearance have disaster recovery training?
• Is all necessary information, records, catalogs, and building diagrams available at the site as well as off site?
• Are high priority items labeled and easy to remove from site?
• Is the disaster recovery team trained and prepared to deal with all varieties of material?
• Are materials protected from automated systems on premises including sprinkler systems?
• Are all exits visible, labeled, and accessible? Are fire extinguishers visible and inspected?
• Always prioritize safety first.

For more information on disaster preparedness for libraries and archives, check out the American Library Association's Disaster Response Library Fact Sheet.

Written by Elizabeth Rideout.

Flood Damage Recovery Information

Tropical Storm Irene passed through New England on Sunday leaving parts of Vermont flooded and personal collections water-damaged. It is important to attend to paper-based materials quickly to prevent mold growth, however recovery of damaged materials should never be attempted if personal safety cannot be assured.

The following are useful resources for disaster recovery of books and paper-based collections:

• Dartmouth College Library Preservation Services FAQ: How to dry a wet book and what to do about mold.
• Heritage Preservation: How to Save a Wet Book, video instructions for rinsing dirty and muddy books, drying damp & wet books as well as freezing books (a great technique if there are many books and little time to dry them all).
• Northeast Document Conservation Center: Emergency Salvage of Moldy Books and Paper.
• Finally, the Library of Congress offers information about recovering from a disaster.

DISASTER BEWARE!!!

On May 24th and 25th , 2011, Collections Action and Response Team (CART) members assembled for a mock recovery exercise. Participants included Richard Langdell, Kerry Lazarus, Owen Mcdowell, Lisa Maxfield, Joy Weale, Joanne Messineo Lisa Ladd, Josh Lascell, Deborah Howe, Brian Markee, and Stephanie Wolff. Over the course of the two separate sessions, CART members put into practice: assessment and problem solving skills, working together as a team, and hands-on experience in salvaging material.

Note: No collections materials were harmed in this exercise; all items used were personal materials or had been discarded from the Library collections. All activities were performed under the direction of a trained conservator.

For more information on disaster recovery check out these sites:

• http://www.nedcc.org/disaster/disaster.php
• http://www.heritagepreservation.org/programs/tfcurrent.html
  
• http://www.disaster-survival-resources.com/personal-disaster-recovery.html

Items awaiting the disaster scenario. Some books were given special labels in order to distinguish between possible variations in materials.

Sand and dirt were added, providing a more real-to-life feel to the event.

Layer upon layer of books and other media such as CD's and videos were interspersed with dirt mixture and lots of water.

Day one team members arrive at the scene to survey the damage, ascertain the situation and decide what to do next.

The supplies of course! The majority of disaster supplies are kept on shelves in Preservation Services. Each branch library has a disaster kit, which contains basic supplies such as plastic, flash light and gloves.

Collapsible crates are used to pack the wet books.

Once opened, the crates are stacked two high with a third crate dropped in at an angle. This configuration of the crates helps the packer by raising the height of the crate to be packed and keep the books tightly aligned.

When books are badly soiled they can be rinsed off in
a large bath of fresh water.

Joy tries out the rinsing method!

CART members soon fall into step, forming teams and a smooth work flow.

Books are wrapped in wax paper to impede sticking to each other and deter off-setting of colors, especially red books.

Meanwhile, members are informed that a leak has been found in the stacks and needs immediate attention. The team must decide who will go and address the new leak. Here Joanne and Brian remove books from the top shelf onto a cart.

Because of the configuration of the shelving, the sheets of plastic must be individually cut for each section of the range.

The area is expertly sealed off and the books will no longer be vulnerable to the leaky pipe.

After both sessions team members sat around our conference table and reviewed the exercise. A list of ideas and suggestions were compiled and will be used to improve the program. Thank you CART members for a successful event!

Written by Deborah Howe and photos courtesy of Beth Hetland

Saving Wet Books Video

A few times a year wet books are sent to Preservation Services for treatment. The books may have become wet while in the care of library patrons or there was an unexpected leak in a library building. Whatever the reason the method of treating the books is the same -- dry the book as soon as possible in order to avoid a mold outbreak.

Heritage Preservation has come out with some brief videos demonstrating book salvage techniques for wet books. These are the same techniques used in Preservation Services, including storing books in a freezer. The Library's freezer was made possible by a generous gift of the Class of 1931. If you have ever wondered how the department handles wet books or if you are looking for information to take care of your own books these videos are very useful.