New York State Conservation/Preservation Grant Awards

New York State Library announces grants to research libraries to
preserve endangered materials in research libraries.

New York State Librarian Joseph F. Shubert today announced ten
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 Pro gram
Officer on the New York Sate Library Development Team, this year
marks the tenth anniversary of the Conservation/Preservation
Program.  She said the program has enabled libraries to preserve
materials on the economic, social, cultural and educational history
of New York State.  In addition to helping libraries preserve
irreplaceable books, maps, photographs, architectural drawings and
archives, the program has supported internships, workshops,
consultations and seminars which have expanded the preservation
knowledge base throughout the State.

As the program begins its eleventh year, Lilley looks forward to it
continuing to help libraries use tested methods of preservation and
explore the use of new technologies to facilitate the preservation
of New York's rich cultural resources.

Lilley said the ten projects supported by the Coordinated
Preservation Project Program in 1995-96 are:

1.  Preserving the Literature of Natural History of the Northeastern
    Bio-region ($43,534, second 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 1995-96 grant is $43,534.  The total
    award, over three years will be $185,706.

2.  Screening and Rehousing of New York State Railroad Collections
    ($37,833).  The State University of New York at Stony Brook will
    sponsor this project to screen and rehouse selected portions of
    New York State railroad collections collectively held by SUNY
    Stony Brook, the New York State Library, and Syracuse
    University.

3.  Preservation Reformatting of Theater Drawings and Posters
    ($27,920).  The University of Rochester Libraries and the
    Columbia University Libraries will conduct a project to reformat
    New York State theater drawings and posters.  Approximately 613
    theater posters and drawings will be reformatting on color
    microfiche.

4.  Preservation Photocopying of Oversize Ozalid Music Scores
    ($49,169).  The University of Rochester Libraries, Columbia
    University Libraries and Cornell University Libraries will
    create preservation photocopies of deteriorating oversized music
    scores produced by the ozalid reproduction process. The ozalid
    process is a photographic process used mainly for the
    reproduction of maps and blue prints..  Unfortunately, like most
    photographic materials, ozalid materials proved to be very
    unstable and impermanent. A total of 776 scores from the three
    participating institutions will be photocopied ensuring
    continued access.

5.  New York State Use-based Microfilming Proposal ($74,570). New
    York University, along with Columbia University and the
    University of Rochester will create preservation microfilm for
    1,000 brittle books identified through use.  The participants
    will also investigate and develop a model approach to a
    use-driven microfilming project.

6.  New York State Science Serials Coordinated Microfilming
    Project--Phase II ($40,066).  Columbia University will
    coordinate this project to microfilm of 220 volumes of five
    brittle serial titles chosen from the areas of mathematics,
    physics, astronomy, and chemistry.  This project will supplement
    the Science Serials Coordinated Microfilming Project, which
    began in 1994.  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.  Bibliographic records
    for the microfilm will be entered into either RLIN or OCLC by
    the participating libraries, making them accessible nationally
    and internationally.

7.  A Pilot Test of the Bookkeeper Mass Deacidification Process
    ($9,480).  The University of Rochester, Columbia University, New
    York University and SUNY Albany will conduct a project to
    evaluate the Bookkeeper mass deacidification process.  The
    purpose of the project is to gain sufficient experience with the
    process to enable the participants to design a full-scale
    project for the comprehensive research libraries. The project
    will also enable the libraries to compare the Bookkeeper process
    with the results of the 1994 coordinated test project of the
    AKZO/DEZ process. In this project a total of 400 volumes will be
    deacidified, approximately 100 volumes from the general
    collections of the four participating libraries.

8.  New York State Preservation Administrator Internship ($40,941).
    This grant is for the third year of a three-year project
    providing a professional level preservation administrator
    internship for librarians.  The interns are drawn from among
    recent graduate 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
    and New York University.  The total of the grant over three
    years is $118,850.

9.  Enclosures and Air Pollution in Image Preservation ($3,867 in
    1995-96).  The University of Rochester, with the cooperation of
    seven other comprehensive research libraries, will support a
    three-year scientific research and development project in
    library preservation.  The research will investigate the
    deleterious effects of pollutants on color and black 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 the matching
    requirements.  The participants, in addition to the University
    of Rochester, include Columbia University, the SUNY center at
    Binghamton, Stony Brook, Albany and Buffalo, The New York Public
    Library, and Syracuse University.  The New York State award will
    provide $42,133 in 1994/95, $3,867 in 1995/96 and $1,000 in
    1996/97 for a total award of $47,000.

10.  Central New York Technician Training Program  ($22,620 in
    1995-96).  Cornell University will provide eight libraries in
    the Central New York region with the means to establish the
    basis for preservation programs through the training of staff in
    standard preservation techniques.  The Cornell university
    Conservation Department staff will provide this training through
    a form of internship involving a series of short-term training
    sessions.  The program will consist of three two-week training
    sessions over the course of nine months with two trainees in
    attendance.  The program will be repeated four times in the
    three year period.  A total of eight individuals will receive
    six weeks of training each.  The New York State award will
    provide $22,620 in 1995/96, $30,571 in 1996/97 and $28,691 in
    1997/98 for a total award of $81,882.

For more information about the Conservation/Preservation Program or
its activities write to:

    Barbara Lilley,
    Conservation/Preservation Program Officer
    New York State Library
    Library Development
    10C47 Cultural Education Center
    Albany, NY  12230
    518-474-6971
    blilley [at] unix2__nysed__gov.

Barbara Lilley

                                  ***
                   Conservation DistList Instance 9:9
                   Distributed: Friday, July 14, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-9-014
                                  ***