Preservation Resources home page

People navigating the World Wide Web can now find information on
preservation and access services on the Preservation Resources home
page.

"The Preservation Resources home page provides an opportunity for us
to display research and development on digital access options to
preservation microfilm," said Meg Bellinger, president, Preservation
Resources. "Microfilm produced to preservation standards is the most
stable, cost-effective and best quality method of preserving
paper-based research material, and by pairing this proven technology
with digital scanning we can not only preserve these materials but
ensure broader access to them for current users."

Examples of Preservation Resources' capabilities in digital scanning
and indexing of microfilm are linked with the home page.  Three
highly illustrated books have been captured on microfilm, then
digitally scanned and indexed.  The resulting electronic books allow
users to view a whole page or zoom in on illustrations.

Through the home page, users can also learn the history and mission
of Preservation Resources and about other aspects of its services,
including bibliographic control of preservation microfilm; color and
continuous tone preservation microfilm; the new generation of
cameras for preservation microfilming; options for preparation of
materials, filming of nonbook formats, rare materials, and items
requiring special handling; and preserving and protecting
preservation microfilm.

The Preservation Resources home page is located at the URL
http://www.oclc.org/oclc/presres/ and can also be reached through a
link with the OCLC home page (http://www.oclc.org).

Preservation Resources, a division of OCLC, was founded in 1985 by
Columbia, Cornell, and Princeton Universities, the New York Public
Library, and the New York State Library, and was originally called
the Mid-Atlantic Preservation Service (MAPS).  In October 1990, the
MAPS Board of Trustees, composed of representatives of MAPS'
founding members, voted unanimously to transfer control of MAPS to
OCLC.  To reflect the transition from a regional to an international
base, the name was changed to MAPS The MicrogrAphic Preservation
Service.  OCLC became the sole member of MAPS, and OCLC executives
were appointed to the new board of trustees.  On Jan. 1, 1994, MAPS
became a division of OCLC and is now known as Preservation
Resources.

Preservation Resources is housed in a new, 17,650-square-foot
building located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.  The building is
divided into offices; conference rooms; areas for camera
workstations, film developing, testing and quality assurance; and a
temperature- and humidity-constant storage vault for long-term
storage of microfilm masters.  The building was dedicated on April
30, 1991. Preservation Resources uses state-of-the-art Herrmann &
Kraemer (H&K) cameras for all its 35mm microfilming.  The
German-made cameras enable Preservation Resources micrographic
technicians to achieve the best possible results in terms of quality
and consistency.  Thirteen H&K cameras are currently in use,
including one that is large enough to film blueprints, architectural
drawings, and other large materials. OCLC is a nonprofit computer
library service and research organization whose computer network and
services link more than 20,000 libraries in 61 countries and
territories.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:38
                Distributed: Thursday, November 2, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-38-025
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