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Atalanta Grant-Suttie
Jeanne Drewes
1 Oct 97
Monitored by Jeanne Drewes, Head, Preservation Department.
Milton S. Eisenhower Library, Johns Hopkins University,
Baltimore, Md
and
Atalanta Grant-Suttie, Sanad Support
Technologies Inc, The Project Manager on the Bindery
Preparation Contract at the National Library of Medicine.
Those Pesky Accompanying Materials was the subject of the brown bag discussion sponsored by CAPNet (Capital Area Preservation Network) on 10th June 1997 at the Library of Congress. A panel of five librarians were invited to discuss pocket materials, and samples of various storage and security solutions were shown. The presentations and sample demonstrations were very informative and they provoked a productive exchange of questions and views amongst the participants.
As the forum developed, it became apparent that a change is inadvertently being forced on traditional library practices because of the number of accompanying materials arriving in libraries. These materials are placing new demands on management and the organization of libraries because they are exerting pressure on shelving space, affecting circulation, cataloging and labeling, impacting on security as well as creating the need to devise stable and effective protective enclosures. Possible solutions to these developments were discussed and it was acknowledged that most of the remedies were temporary. No one to date has the definitive answer to the best course of action for the long term. However, issues are being addressed and changes are underway.
Pocket materials in libraries with small collections can be organized more easily by format and so the tendency is to separate them from the book. In larger libraries and in libraries with closed stack systems, pocket materials are more often kept with the book and not separated by format.
It emerged during the discussions that libraries are at a very embryonic stage in deciding how best to cope with the increase in pocket materials and some institutions have addressed the issue with more vigor that others. A representative from one closed stack library, related that they had no institutional policy in place yet for pocket materials even though there are more and more floppy discs and compact discs (CDs) arriving from publishers with their serials. This generated much discussion and one recommendation was put forward to house special materials in one particular area of the library. These items could include microform, "medium-rare" materials (items that no longer should remain in the general collections but do not qualify for the Rare Book Room), materials of odd sizes and items of a vulnerable nature. This special area would be devised to catch those items that cannot easily go on the shelf.
The advantages and disadvantages of this recommendation were highlighted when the participants heard that a special place is already operational in one library where all multimedia items are placed in a closed stack section. An inventory sheet was kept at the Circulation Desk for the attendant to check the pieces in and out of the closed area. While the inventory control provided good security for the materials, it also limited their use. Browsing was highly desired by patrons and although the materials are kept with their pieces they were not used to the full extent they could be because of their segregation.
The periodicals in this library were also discussed as they presented a particular problem if a CD arrived with the issue. The entire issue was placed in the special section, but on the shelves in the open stacks it appeared that the volume was missing because there was no indication of the special location. This situation is a classic example of the central paradox in the preservation field between preservation and access with no perfect solution. To change the shelving to accommodate a message directing the patron to the special location was not possible because of severe crowding. Adding enclosure to enclosure takes up shelf space.
Another library proposed sequential numbering of non-print materials on the shelves, as opposed to the traditional methods of subject classification. This fixed location proposal was met with so much resistance from other library departments, that the idea had to be abandoned. In one library, all computer files, disks, CDs are placed in the reference collection and are non-circulating. When possible a use copy is made and the master is stored. The accompanying print material is shelved with a label saying there is accompanying materials. Experience has demonstrated that it is not unusual for patrons to want to use both the print version and the accompanying materials together.
In another library with a collection of a thousand CDs, there is item level cataloging for circulation control. There is one item record for all the pieces of a title. The pieces are shelved according to format and the item level control was found to be appropriate for checkout purposes. If a piece becomes lost there is no stamp on the other pieces to say how many pieces are attached. However, there is control over the materials in this library whereas at another institution it was explained that there is no item record for the serial collections and so no control over the individual pieces of a title.
The readability of computer materials was a general concern and was debated back and forth during the panel discussions. One library did not check their electronic materials after use, but waited to be told by a patron when something was not functioning well. Another library did review their electronic media for quality when the materials first arrived in the library so that claims could be made immediately with the publishers. This same library did not think it necessary to have an archival back-up of files.
Internal security during processing and external security for patron use loomed large as an issue amongst the panelists and participants. The items that were causing the most concern were CDs and computer discs. A major concern for one library was the separation of materials during the cataloging process. Possible solutions were proposed such as providing plastic bags to keep accompanying materials together with the main item during processing. Another idea was to collect CDs together in a container that could be secured with a key until the cataloger was ready to process the contents. A problem in another library was trying to prevent the booklets in CDs from being taken.
Security devices for CDs and other magnetic media are still at an elementary stage in their development. There are various solutions available and in particular, the pros and cons of locks for CD jewel cases from various manufacturers were shown and debated. The eight-prong jewel case is not manufactured by the 3M company in the United States, but the twelve-prong case is produced here. The former case, the eight-prong seems to be preferable to use, as it is easier to handle. One library had persuaded 3M in Germany to send a trial shipment of eight prong jewel cases so that the library could determine the security lock effectiveness. Both kinds of jewel cases operate with different keys and the keys are expensive. Another type of jewel case was shown where the locks are large enough to label and tattle tape the disadvantage being the security piece is not attached to the case not the actual item.
It was strongly recommended not to place labels on CDs. Samples were shown of what happens when a label is used and then removed. The polycarbonate (the reflective side) can be stripped from the CD making it inoperable. Adhesive is another problem in labeling as it can seep through to the polycarbonate and accelerate the destruction of the CD. The company, 3M in the United States have developed a clear plastic sheet that has two stripes of tattle tape to create balance when the CD is played. However, it was emphasized that accuracy in the application process is crucial to avoid problems.
All the security cases shown are made of plastic so they can be destroyed. They are not foolproof but in breaking apart the case, damage would be done to the CD. Some trays of CDs come separated from the plastic exterior so they have to be assembled. The standard content of jewel cases is a material known as zylore which is a non-debris producing, inert plastic. Polystrene is not recommended, polyethylene and polypropylene plastics can also be used for cases, although the paper or card inserts have to be bent to get them into a polypropylene case and no security stripes can be applied to this material. Despite these drawbacks, polypropylene was advocated as the best inexpensive plastic to house CDs and floppy discs.
Preservation issues for electronic media were discussed. The maximum life of a CD is about twenty years. Contrary to popular belief, a CD should not be stored horizontally but vertically. Horizontal storage will cause warping over time. Sensitizers for CDs are different from the one used for books so this means another investment for the library. It was emphasized not to label CDs. Even the pressure of writing with an indelible felt tip pen on the inner hub causes problems of ink eventually bleeding into the polycarbonate surface. Although one library representative reported that they did mark their CDs and so far had not experienced any problems. The balance is one of current security versus long term use. The ephemeral nature of computer disks were discussed, especially the problem of circulation staff deleting files when a computer disk was part of the title and stored in the back of a book. The desensitizer for books will delete files from computer disks.
Samples of storage solution were shown from commercial vendors and in-house remedies. The sleeve size used in the back board of a book if too large makes it very difficult to remove the disc. Tyvek sleeves for CDs are unsatisfactory unless they can hold a jewel case to protect the CD from uneven pressure. Plastozite, an inert material, which can be used to create a strong platform to both cushion and compensate for the depth of a cassette, was discussed. This material generated much interest amongst the participants because of its properties. Reservations were expressed about the potential for flaking especially when the non-print material is removed frequently. A proposal was put forward that perhaps the Library of Congress or the Harvard Testing Facility may be willing to do some tests with plastozite and its properties be compared to ethofoam, another inert material used frequently in the museum world to build containers.
Velcro applied under a flap of a pocket made from a strong card was termed "a homemade remedy" but sufficed for one library in securing and protecting the floppy disc or CD by eliminated any possibility of the item falling out of the pocket in handling. However, this method is not a strong protection in the long term. Everyone present advocated clamshell boxes as an inexpensive protective solution. One production methodology were explained using a computer program to calculate the measurements of needed boxes and then the information is copied to disc and sent to the manufacturer to produce the boxes. These boxes arrive back in the library in a flattened form for assembly by the library staff. Another recommendation was to have a mobile unit sent directly into the stacks to make box measurements and collect materials. Samples of special circumstances where demonstrated such as a box made with individual compartments to accommodate several cassettes and rolls of film, and a box for an odd shaped book that could not be placed on the shelf in the normal way.
Overall there was no clear-cut solution for dealing with pocket materials and no definitive answers to the solutions that were presented. The brown bag discussion proved very constructive in highlighting common preservation concerns with regard to pocket materials and gave the participants the opportunity to see enclosures from other libraries, to hear the advantages and disadvantages of solutions and to confirm reservations about present procedures and their impact in the longer term. It was apparent by the conclusion of the forum that pocket materials are increasingly presenting space and security problems in all libraries and that organizational changes are going to have to be implemented across all library departments to accommodate the variety of formats and accompanying pieces that are continuing to be produced by publishers.
Monitored by Jeanne Drewes, Head, Preservation Department.