New York State Library grants

New York State Library Announces Seven Grants to Preserve Endangered
Materials in Research Libraries.

New York State Librarian Joseph F. Shubert today announced seven grants
to research libraries for cooperation in preserving endangered research
materials.  The grants, totaling $350,000, will preserve collections of
materials important to the State and will support research in
preservation techniques.

The grants are part of a Coordinated Preservation Program, enacted in
1984. They provide funds for cooperative activities among eleven
comprehensive research libraries designated in Education law: Columbia
University, Cornell University, the Research Libraries of the New York
Public Library, the SUNY centers at Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, and
Stony Brook, New York State Library, New York University, Syracuse
University and the University of Rochester.

According to Barbara Lilley, Conservation/Preservation Program Officer
in the New York State Library Development Team, the seven projects
supported by the Coordinated Preservation Project Program in 1994-95
are:

1.  Preserving the Literature of Natural History of the Northeastern
    Bio-region ($67,147, first year).

    In this three year project, Cornell and the New York State Library
    will complete the preservation of the core historical literature of
    natural history and natural resources in the bio-region surrounding
    and including New York.  The 1994-95 grant is $67,147.  The total
    award, over three years, will be $185,706

2.  Digital Training for Preservation Administrators ($21,939).

    Cornell University, on behalf of the Eleven Comprehensive Research
    Libraries will conduct one-week training seminars for
    representatives from the Big 11 on the use of digital technology for
    preservation reformatting.  Two participants from each Library will
    study components of imaging systems, costs and quality/production
    tradeoffs, longevity factors in digital information, and access-
    related issues.  They will also prepare a preliminary proposal for a
    digital project based on their own collections, and select samples
    of materials from those collections that they will bring to Cornell
    for scanning.

3.  Preservation of Photographic Materials  ($36,396).

    New York University, Columbia University and Cornell University will
    preserve photographic negatives which are at risk of damage and
    deterioration because they are on glass or unstable nitrate or
    diacetate film bases.  Such images suffer from breakage,
    delamination and chemical decomposition.  The grant will assist the
    three research libraries in their ongoing efforts to preserve the
    visual and cultural histories depicted in their collections.  The
    project will build on efforts initiated by two earlier New York
    State coordinated preservation grant projects.  They will preserve
    2,249 images from the three institutions in this project.

4.  New York State Coordinated Science Serials Microfilming Project
    ($94,574).

    The Libraries of Columbia University and nine other research
    libraries will microfilm 800 volumes of brittle serials chosen from
    the areas of mathematics, physics, astronomy, and chemistry.  All
    are of long term research importance, brittle, and already available
    on film.  The participating libraries will attempt to put together a
    complete run of each title by pooling their holdings,  Any remaining
    gaps will be filled as much as possible through borrowing from non-
    participant libraries. The project will produce three generations of
    microfilm and  the participating libraries will enter the
    bibliographic records into RLIN or OCLC, making them accessible
    nationally and internationally.  The participants include Columbia
    University, Cornell University, SUNY at Albany, SUNY at Binghamton,
    New York Public Library, SUNY at Buffalo, New York State Library,
    SUNY at Stony Brook, New York University, and the University of
    Rochester.


5.  Enclosures and Air Pollution in Image Preservation ($42,133 for
    1994-95).

    The University of Rochester, with the cooperation of seven other
    comprehensive research libraries will support a two-year scientific
    research and development project in library preservation. The
    research will investigate the deleterious effects of pollutants on
    color and back-and-white photographic materials, especially
    microfilms and test commonly available storage enclosures to
    determine the extent of protection afforded by each type and
    determine those best suited for storing  various kinds of imaging
    materials.  The Image Permanence Institute at Rochester Institute of
    Technology in Rochester, NY, is the prime contractor for the
    research.  In June, 1993, the National Endowment for the Humanities
    awarded the Institute $206,000 and has committed an additional
    $47,000 in federal matching funds.  The New York State comprehensive
    research libraries grant will help meet matching requirements.  The
    participants, in addition to the University of Rochester, include
    Columbia University, SUNY at Stony Brook, New York Public Library,
    Syracuse University, SUNY at Binghamton, SUNY Albany SUNY at
    Buffalo, The New York State award will also provide $10,867 in
    1995/96, for a total award of $47,000.

6.  New York State Preservation Administrator Internship ($38,110 for
    1994/95).

    This grant is for the second year of a three year project providing
    a professional level preservation administrator internship for
    librarians.  The interns are drawn from among recent graduates of
    library institutions, and will be hosted by different Comprehensive
    Research Libraries.  Three interns are being funded over the course
    of three years.  Each internship will last ten months and each will
    take place at a different comprehensive research library. The
    sponsor of the project is Columbia University. Participants include
    Cornell University, New York University.  The total of the grants
    over three years is $118,850.

7.  Isoperms for Color Photography:  a two-year preservation research
    and development project ($48,312 for 1994/95).

    The University of Rochester, and other New York State Comprehensive
    Research Libraries will support the second year of a two-year
    research at the Rochester Institute of Technology to investigate
    optimum storage strategies for color photography.  The research
    tests the "isoperm" approach in which the effects of storage
    temperature and humidity on life expectancy are quantified over a
    wide range of possible conditions for color negative film, color
    slide film, color print paper, and cinema positive film now on the
    market.

    The data will be used to evaluate the adequacy and
    cost-effectiveness of present or planned storage environments and
    compare storage with other preservation options, such as remedial
    treatment or reformatting.  The project is providing information
    useful to the American National Standards Institute Committee IT9
    (which is responsible for film storage standards). The project will
    produce a publication useful to research libraries.

Participants are University of Rochester, Columbia University, SUNY
Binghamton, New York University, Syracuse University, Cornell
University, SUNY Buffalo, SUNY Albany, and The New York Public Library.
Grants for the two-year project total $115,151.

For more information please contact

    Barbara Lilley
    Conservation/Preservation Program Officer
    518-474-6971

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:18
                 Distributed: Sunday, September 4, 1994
                        Message Id: cdl-8-18-005
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