ALCTS Network News v2n01 (July 8, 1991) URL = http://hegel.lib.ncsu.edu/stacks/serials/ann/ann-v2n01 ISSN: 1056-6694 ALCTS NETWORK NEWS An electronic publication of the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services Volume 2, Number 1 July 8, 1991 In this issue REPORT TO ALA COUNCIL OF THE ALA PRESIDENT'S PRESERVATION POLICY COMMITTEE PRESERVATION POLICY SUBSEQUENT ACTION OF COUNCIL ************************************************************************** ALA President's Committee on Preservation Policy REPORT including draft ALA policy and recommendations for its implementation June 1991 BACKGROUND The ALA President's Committee on Preservation Policy was appointed by 1989/90 President Patricia Wilson Berger, whose focus during her presidential year on "Information Access: Back to the Basics" highlighted ALA's long-standing commitments to literacy, preservation, and access to information. The charge to the Committee reads, in part: "The Committee shall draft ALA policy to explicitly outline the responsibilities of the library profession for the preservation of library collections. The policy shall describe the role of libraries in preserving materials, regardless of format, that are important to the transference of mankind's cultural heritage. The emphasis of the Committee will be on the preservation of materials for use by present and future generations of library users. The preservation policy statement(s) will be modeled after other ALA positions and public policy statements published in the ALA Policy Manual." During her presidential year, President Berger emphasized the interdependency of ALA's efforts to combat illiteracy, ensure access to information, and preserve collections for use by present and future generations. She urged the Association to develop a comprehensive preservation strategy. At Preservation Forums held during the 1990 Midwinter and Annual Meetings, President Berger stressed the problems of ensuring the preservation and security of electronic information (in addition to the preservation of traditional media) and introduced speakers who addressed preservation from the broadest possible perspective. President Berger's preservation initiatives and the initial work of the ALA President's Committee on Preservation Policy coincided with the celebration of the 10th anniversary of ALCTS Preservation of Library Materials Section. This anniversary, and its surrounding events, helped the Committee set into context its task to interpret and articulate the Association's concern for preservation, and translate this concern into recommendations for official ALA policy. An earlier version of this report and the accompanying draft policy were widely distributed prior to the ALA 1991 Midwinter Meeting for review by the membership. In a separate letter, ALA Divisions were asked to formally review the draft and to report any action taken at Midwinter. In addition, the Committee sponsored an open hearing during Midwinter to provide an opportunity for members to discuss the draft with the Committee. The hearing was well-attended and lively, and a number of useful comments were collected and incorporated into the draft policy. During the Midwinter meeting ACRL and ALSC voted to approve the draft policy. Written comments were solicited through March and also incorporated into the final draft. The Committee met on April 22 to consider the final draft and to discuss what recommendations the Committee would make for implementation of the policy. Past President Berger attended this meeting. DISCUSSION OF PRESERVATION ISSUES During the course of its work, the ALA President's Committee on Preservation Policy discussed a broad range of preservation issues, reflecting the views of the Association as a whole. The Committee considered the significance of preservation to all library users, in addition to those identified as scholars or scientists. It considered how the deterioration of library materials undermines, in Patricia Berger's words, "the capacity of the library to serve as the cornerstone for democracy" and considered whether priority should be given to the preservation of library materials that would be used by a broad spectrum of people. The Committee also debated the preservation of the artifact versus preservation of intellectual content and questioned whether we are adequately protecting information resident in the artifact itself including the special aura that historical documents possess. The Committee was particularly concerned with the issues surrounding the preservation and security of electronic information--including the problems of technical obsolescence and security of library and commercial databases. They acknowledged the risks associated with preservation and access to electronic information controlled by commercial data base vendors and government agencies, and discussed what would constitute appropriate action for ALA. Recognizing that libraries have many partners in providing information to the public, the Committee discussed how preservation concerns could translate into positive action to facilitate the development and promulgation of national and international standards, and to communicate to publishers and manufacturers of information media a sense of responsibility for the usability, durability, and longevity of information products. Finally, the Committee recognized that citizens and library users assume that libraries and other cultural institutions are taking care of the preservation of our intellectual and cultural heritage. The Committee reaffirmed that libraries have an obligation to preserve the collections under their purview as well as to inform the public about the preservation problem so that they can make their views known to their representatives, to local, state, and national governments, and to funding agencies. REVIEW OF THE ALA POLICY MANUAL In addition to considering the preservation issues confronting libraries and the Association in general, the Committee carefully reviewed the content of the ALA Policy Manual and recommends that preservation policy appear in three areas of Section Two, Positions and Public Policy Statements: National Information Services and Responsibilities, Federal Legislative Policy, and Services and Responsibilities of Libraries. The rationale for including preservation policy in Section Two of the ALA Policy Manual is as follows: 50. National Information Services and Responsibilities This section contains ALA statements to the nation at large concerning current issues (such as the ERA, nuclear freeze, and free access to information in publicly-supported institutions). It would be an appropriate place to include an ALA policy statement urging manufacturers of information media and publishers of information products (including information in electronic format) to consider usability, durability, and longevity. In addition, the preservation of library resources is essential to protecting the public's right to the free flow of information. The Committee drafted a three-part policy statement to cover these concerns, emphasize the importance of standards, and note the responsibility of libraries to inform the public about the preservation implications of impermanent media. 51. Federal Legislative Policy The narrative for this section of the ALA Policy Manual is excerpted from Federal Legislative Policy for the American Library Association, prepared by the ALA Legislation Committee and adopted by ALA Council in July 1987. The 1987 edition is currently being considered for revision. A short section on the Federal role in preservation appears on pages 8-9.4 The Committee recommends that this section be expanded to include a statement that directs the Federal government to consider the need for a more expansive and inclusive national preservation policy (in terms of programs and funding) and one that links the efforts of national, state, and local libraries. Secondly, although Congress passed a resolution to establish a national policy on permanent paper and President Bush signed the resolution into law, those advocating the use of recycled paper in government seem to be working at cross-purposes to those advocating the use of permanent paper. The ALA Washington Office is tracking this issue and has prepared a number of statements for Congressional Hearings. The Committee recommends that this issue continue to be clearly articulated and that it appear in both the ALA Policy Manual and Federal Legislative Policy. 52. Services and Responsibilities of Libraries The Committee recommends that Section 52.2 of the ALA Policy Manual be expanded to describe explicitly the responsibility of libraries to insure the continued availability of library materials for present and future generations of library users. The present Section 52.2.1 Preventive Preservation, urges publishers to use alkaline, permanent paper. The Committee recommends that this issue be moved to sections 50 and 51 as noted above. In addition, the present 52.2.2 urges the government to use "recycled paper for publication normally issued on nonpermanent paper..." The committee recommends that this statement be removed from section 52, rewritten in light of current developments, and inserted in section 51, Federal Legislative Policy, as recommended above. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ALA PRESERVATION POLICY The draft policy being submitted by the ALA President's Committee on Preservation Policy underwent extensive review by the membership and is now presented for adoption by the ALA Council at the 1991 Annual Conference in Atlanta. The work of the Committee and even the approval of the policy by Council, however, should be seen as just the beginning of a process to integrate fully preservation policy and action throughout the Association and its programs. The experience of the Committee while working together, the range of issues discussed in the course of drafting the policy, and the resulting document all demonstrate that preservation is a central issue for libraries and for the Association and that it affects the work and mission of virtually every division and unit. Therefore, in order to ensure appropriate coordination, the Committee recommends that an ALA special committee on preservation be established. The committee's charge would be to oversee the implementation of preservation policy, serve as a source of information about preservation programs and initiatives throughout the Association, analyze events and the activities of other organizations, and coordinate preservation concerns among the various units of ALA. The committee's mission would be threefold: to ensure that opportunities to implement the preservation policy are not lost to the Association, to measure success and provide an ongoing review of preservation policy, and to avoid duplication of effort (resulting from lack of coordination) in preservation initiatives. The Executive Board has referred the recommendation that a committee be established to the ALA Committee on Organization and would review the work and progress of the special committee at the end of its second year. The ALA President's Committee on Preservation Policy does not take lightly its own recommendation to establish a separate Association-wide committee. In the course of the Committee's work, however, it became clear that many opportunities to address the preservation issues associated with information resources were being lost to the Association--particularly in the areas of standards and in the communication of preservation concerns to groups outside ALA. The Committee applauds the work of the Preservation of Library Materials Section (PLMS) of ALCTS and acknowledges its effective leadership in advancing the field of library preservation and in helping to develop solutions to preservation problems. At the same time, the Committee recognizes that many other units of ALA have substantial contributions to make in advancing the preservation of library resources for the benefit of libraries and library users worldwide. Clearly, preservation issues cut across the Association. The Committee examined all of the tasks associated with the implementation of the draft ALA preservation policy. The long list of implementation "sites" within the Association convinced the Committee that a coordinating body was needed. Many units within ALA will be involved in the implementation of the preservation policy. While groups such as ALCTS/PLMS, ALCTS/RLMS, LITA/TESLA, MARBI, and LAMA/BES will be involved in the identification of needed standards, groups such as the ALA Public Information Advisory Committee, ACRL, PLA, AASL, LAMA/PRS, and ALSC will be involved in the public relations aspects of preservation. GODORT, the ALA Legislation Committee, and the ALA Washington Office will track and intercede in governmental affairs affecting preservation and make the case for increased federal, state, and local resources for preservation. LITA will be concerned with the preservation implications of new technology while the Intellectual Freedom Committee will, in its own words after reviewing the draft preservation policy, "assert the basic importance of preservation in regard to the public's right to the free flow of information which is embodied in the Library Bill of Rights and the First Amendment of the Constitution." In fact, implementation of ALA preservation policy will only be effective if and when it involves these groups and many others. Finally, to highlight the concerns identified in the draft preservation policy and to underscore ALA's renewed commitment to preservation concerns in order to ensure access and preserve collections for use by present and future generations, the ALA President's Committee on Preservation Policy recommendation that National Library Week 1993 be dedicated to preservation has been referred to the ALA Public Information Advisory Committee by the ALA Executive Board. ACTION ITEM The Committee requests that ALA Council adopt the Preservation Policy as presented. ************************************************************************* PRESERVATION POLICY Adopted by the Council of the American Library Association June 30, 1991 50. NATIONAL INFORMATION SERVICES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 50.XX Permanence and Durability of Information Products The American Library Association, with its history of concern and action in the preservation of information resources, affirms that the preservation of information resources is central to libraries and librarianship. The Association believes that manufacturers, publishers, and purchasers of information media must address the usability, durability, and longevity of those products. These groups must address the preservation issues associated with information resources published and disseminated in both electronic and traditional formats. These issues include the permanence of the medium itself, its intelligibility and readability over time, the threat to information posed by technical obsolescence, the long-term retention of information resident in commercial databases, and the security of library and commercial databases. The American Library Association and its Divisions will work closely with standards-setting organizations to identify and develop needed preservation standards and to promote compliance with those that exist. The Association further affirms that while preservation guidelines and standards emanating from the Divisions are helpful, they should be seen as a prelude to official national and international standards. An official standard developed through consensus of all parties, including commercial concerns, has a greater chance of implementation than a guideline or standard developed and promulgated solely by a professional association. The Association's preservation concerns are not limited to the information resident in books printed on paper, but include information products such as sound recordings, photographs, videotapes, and CD-ROM, as well as the transfer of machine-readable data to either human-readable copy or an archive that will ensure continued access to the information. 1) The useful life of library materials is affected by the longevity, stability, and durability of information media such as paper, film, and optical disks. It is the Association's official position that publishers and manufacturers have an obligation and a responsibility to libraries and to the public for appropriate performance of information media for use by library patrons, in terms of their usability, durability, and longevity. To this end, the Association will engage in active education and public relations efforts, and will establish and promote links with trade associations, publishers, and publishing associations to develop, promote, and publicize standards for the permanence and durability of information media. Concerning the permanence of information products printed on paper, the American Library Association urges publishers to use paper meeting standards promulgated by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Standards Organization (ISO) for all publications of enduring value and to include a statement of compliance on the verso of the title page of a book or the masthead or copyright area of a periodical, and in catalogs, advertising, and bibliographic references. 2) The standards for publication of information, whether paper-based or machine-readable, affect continued access to that information. ALA will encourage the development of appropriate standards and promote their use by the manufacturers of information media, the publishers of information products, and the library community. In addition, ALA will work with electronic publishers to develop guidelines governing the preservation of data, so that information will not be lost when publishers can no longer economically retain and disseminate it. Finally, libraries must be able to guarantee the security and integrity of their own computer systems, while ensuring legitimate access to them. Concerning access to information by the public, ALA affirms that the preservation of library resources is essential in order to protect the public's right to the free flow of information as embodied in the First Amendment to the Constitution and the Library Bill of Rights. 3) Impermanence of primary source documents threatens our ability to preserve local and family history. Libraries around the country collect materials from individuals, local governments, and private and public institutions that document cultural and social history. Typically, much of this material is intended as a record of current events rather than as permanent documentation. Although citizens may know about the impermanent nature of newsprint, they are less likely to be aware of the highly impermanent nature of media such as color photographs and videotape, even though these media ultimately constitute important primary resource documents. This is an issue of enormous public concern, and libraries have an obligation to inform their users, administrators, and local officials about the ephemeral nature of these materials and to recommend more permanent documentation techniques. The Association will help libraries stimulate public interest in this issue and will make information available regarding the various courses of action that concerned individuals, organizations, and governments may take. 51. FEDERAL LEGISLATIVE POLICY The federal government must provide leadership in developing a more expansive and inclusive national preservation policy in terms of both programs and funding. This policy should link the efforts of national, state, and local libraries in preserving materials that document our cultural heritage and making their content widely available to all citizens. The federal government, by example, by policy, and by the efforts of its historical, cultural, and information institutions, should affirm the responsibility of all cultural institutions, including local and state libraries, to preserve and provide access to historical documents. Incentives are also needed to encourage private institutions to participate in the national effort. Although great progress has been made by Congress through the funding of the preservation programs of the National Endowment for the Humanities, scholarly collections in the humanities are not the only collections that are at risk. The American Library Association will work to increase funding for preservation through such sources as the Library Services and Construction Act, the National Science Foundation, and the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Such funding is urgently needed to ensure a balance of preservation activity nationwide and future access to historic materials by a broad spectrum of people. The American Library Association firmly supports the goal of addressing our nation's solid waste problem by using recycled paper products. The federal government should be clear in its legislation regarding the appropriate use of recycled paper. Not all recycled paper is suitable for documents that will become part of our nation's permanent documentary heritage. The choice of recycled paper for use by Congress, the Public Printer, and other federal publishers should be in compliance with the ANSI standard for permanent paper, Z39.48, in its latest version. ALA will continue to articulate the complexity of this issue. Attention to the longevity, stability, and durability of information media is also critical for materials published by the government in microform, in electronic format, and in other emerging technologies. 52. SERVICES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF LIBRARIES 52.2 Access to Library Materials through Their Preservation To ensure the continued availability of library materials to present and future generations of library users, the American Library Association urges all libraries and library professionals to initiate and support preservation efforts at all levels. These efforts should include supporting research into the causes of deterioration; communicating the need for increased funding for the preservation of endangered materials to appropriate organizations and federal, state, and local governments; educating current and future librarians, library users, and the public about preservation issues; and promoting the use of permanent and durable media by the publishers of information products. Libraries also have a responsibility to provide for the preservation of their collections. Basic preservation activities include appropriate and non-damaging storage conditions, remedial treatment to keep materials usable for as long as they are needed, preservation of materials in their original format when appropriate, and replacement or reformatting of deteriorated materials. Preservation issues should be addressed during the planning for new buildings and additions to and renovations of existing buildings. In addition to already established activities for preserving paper and books, preservation strategies should be extended to new and emerging technologies, including the updating and reformatting of magnetic media to allow continued access and protecting against viruses, worms, and unauthorized alteration of data and information in electronic media. ************************************************************************* SUBSEQUENT ACTION OF COUNCIL As noted at the head of the policy statement, the ALA Council has approved the statement as ALA policy. The Committee's recommendations that there be a special committee to implement the policy was referred to the ALA Committee on Organization whose recommendation was reported to the Council on July 3. Council voted to refer implementation of the policy to ALCTS, but required a progress report to the ALA Executive Board at the end of two years. The recommendation that a National Library Week be dedicated to preservation issues has been referred to the ALA Public Information Advisory Committee, but no response has been received. For more information on the report or the policy, contact Carolyn Morrow, Chair of the President's Committee on Preservation Policy. For implementation on plans for the implementation of the policy, contact Arnold Hirshon, ALCTS President, Lisa Fox, PLMS Chair, or the ALCTS office. ************************************************************************* ALCTS NETWORK NEWS (ISSN 1056-6694) is published irregularly by the Association for Library Collections & Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association. Editorial offices: ALCTS, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611; Arnold Hirshon, President; Karen Muller, Executive Director. Editor: Karen Muller (u34261@uicvm); Editorial staff for this issue: just Karen. ALCTS NETWORK NEWS is available free of charge and is available only in electronic form. Opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the division. News items and requests for back issues should be sent to the editor at Bitnet address u34261@uicvm. To subscribe, issue the network command "tell listserv@uicvm sub alcts [your account] [your name]." ALCTS NETWORK NEWS is also available on ALANET through the PUBS menu or the command ALANET4. Send questions about membership in ALCTS to the ALCTS Office, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611. All materials in the newsletter subject to copyright by the American Library Association may be reprinted or redistributed for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or education advancement granted by Sections 107 and 108 of the Copyright Revision Act of 1976. 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