Preservation News: Register Now! Preservation Week webinars

The Library of Congress, Preservation Directorate is excited to participate in Preservation Week 2022! We are hosting webinars every weekday of Preservation Week at 11 am (EDT). The five webinars will feature preservation-related projects conducted at the Library. Click on the titles to register.

Fragments, Discovery and Creating Knowledge  Monday, April 25th, 11 am (EDT)

Fenella France, Chief of the Preservation Research and Testing Division (PRTD), will discuss how PRTD staff have been using noninvasive portable instruments to learn more from the material and physical aspects of collections. Working with Marianna Stell in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, PRTD has recently been exploring 12th- to 16th-century parchment fragments to expand understanding of historical parchment and inks. 

Preserving the legacy of Robert Cornelius and other daguerreotypes in the Prints & Photographs Division Tuesday, April 26th, 11 am (EDT)

Daguerreotypes are among the earliest photographic records, and the Library holds over 800, including the iconic daguerreotype self-portrait of Robert Cornelius from 1839. Rachel Wetzel, Senior Photograph Conservator, will discuss the development of the daguerreotype, introduce Cornelius’ work and explain how her daguerreotype research led to a recent major acquisition.

Preservation Digitization Program Overview Wednesday, April 27th, 11 am (EDT) 

The Preservation Services Division performs a wide variety of reformatting including brittle books, foreign newspaper digitization, as well as tangible media capture, and forensics. Aaron Chaletzky, Head of the Reformatting Projects Section will give a brief discussion of each type of reformatting, plus a sample of online collections.

Moving Collections to an Off-Site Facility: Key Things to Keep In Mind Thursday, April 28th, 11 am (EDT)

Cathy Martyniak, Chief of the Collection Management Division, will provide a top-level overview of issues to keep in mind if a library decides to move a portion of its collections to an off-site facility. Key topics include selection of materials for transfer, identification of the offsite facility, shelving schemas, transportation of materials, retrievals, and governance policies. 

Fiscal and Organizational Sustainability for Preservation Programs Friday, April 29th, 11 am (EDT) 

Jacob Nadal, Director for Preservation at the Library, will describe how the Library’s Preservation Directorate plans for and maintains its preservation programs. He will discuss a series of reorganizations, completed in 2017 and 2021, and an ongoing series of cost studies. These studies examine total costs of major service areas and support scenario planning around pay and non-pay activities. These combined efforts help to make sure the Preservation Directorate will be able to respond to changes: in immediate requirements and across strategic planning cycles, while making progress on long-term and large-scale preservation needs.

All webinars will be recorded and posted on our website, this process usually takes 2-6 months. You can find all our past recordings here. If you have any questions please contact Amelia Parks at ampar@loc.gov

Please request ADA accommodations at least five business days in advance by contacting (202) 707-6362 or ada@loc.gov.