Preservation Group General Policies
Contents
Mission
Preserve UM Libraries' collections using current professional standards and at the highest cost/benefit ratio; contribute to the UM Libraries' mission and make collections available to users; foster training for staff and users in proper handling of library materials; and serve as preservation resources and consultants for the Campus and the broader community as well as for UM Libraries.Policies Supporting the Mission
Assuming limited resources and the ever-growing and changing preservation needs of the tier one research library collections in our care, we have established policies that use preservation resources to serve effectively the research, teaching and service mission of the University of Maryland. Effective use of preservation resources entails the following principles:- Tie preservation selection/decision making closely to collection policies of the institution.
- Address damaged in-demand materials, as identified by circulation, as the primary focus of our workflow.
- Use established mechanisms such as the Preservation Committee to set and carry out preservation priorities in a collaborative process that distributes preservation resources fairly across UM Libraries.
- Maximize access by:
- Minimizing turnaround times for materials in Preservation for treatment.
- Tracking all materials while they are in Preservation.
- Responding to user requests for items in Preservation.
- Use national/international standards and best practices to perform our work.
- Prevent damage as the most cost effect approach to preservation by promoting and facilitating proper storage and handling of library materials.
Each team’s policies and procedures will support and encompass the above principles.
Policies by Team
Bindery, End Processing- Bindery
- We will hold the commercial library bindery responsible for creating bindings that meet LBI standards.
- Our tolerance for error rate from the commercial library bindery will be no higher than a 2% error rate.
- The commercial library bindery will provide a 2-week turnaround with weekly pickup/deliveries.
- We will return errors asap for correction.
- We will track and document commercial library bindery errors.
- We will maintain good communication with the commercial library bindery.
- End Processing
- Rush items will be processed 2X per day.
- Shelves for each branch will be cleared for delivery once a day.
Conservation
- Our first priority is to conserve damaged materials so that they may be returned to use.
- Damaged in-demand materials, as identified by circulation points, are the primary focus of our workflow.
- Assessment and treatments will be made to current conservation/preservation standards and will be at an appropriate level for each piece.
- Treatments will be reversible.
- Items will be routed to the most appropriate and cost-effective location for timely treatment, to any one of the following places:
- In-house lab.
- Outsourced, if in-house facilities or staff do not accommodate the needed treatment.
- Commercial bindery, providing preparatory work in-house if necessary.
- Brittle Materials Unit.
- Appropriate and qualified outside conservation specialists will be brought in when items require specialized expertise for assessment and treatment.
- Staff will be assigned to the treatments suitable to their level of expertise, although all may need to assist with lower-end treatments on occasion.
- Staff/student(s) with beginning level skills will be hired in sufficient numbers to cover the simplest tasks in order to permit the more skilled staff to focus on higher-end treatments.
- Special projects, such as for reference collections and special collections, will be undertaken based on priorities set by consensus of the Preservation Committee.
