Dead technology and public outreach in library preservation

Two unrelated events: Beth Doyle's

    "Quick Pic: Before There Was Power Point"
    <URL:http://blogs.library.duke.edu/preservation/2012-08-03/quick-pic-before-there-was-power-point/>

post on Duke University Libraries' excellent Preservation
Underground blog that reintroduced us to slide/tape shows, and my
cleaning up parts of our departmental reference collection here at
Syracuse that lead to the rediscovery of "The Care and Handling of
Books" produced by Yale University Library with support from NEH in
1980. I had the pleasure of helping mail out numerous copies of
these while working at Yale (1991-92) and remembered it well.

Long story short, the opportunity was too good to pass up. With the
permission of Bobbi Pilette, Preservation Librarian at Yale I had
our audio engineer digitize the audio cassette (still in very good
condition after all these years) including the pulses to advance the
projector and had the slides digitized as well. The result is now
available on YouTube at

    <URL:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cLIhWprMq4>

in all its glory. Processing of images was minimal so the full retro
effect is there.

The script is linked to in PDF form under "bullet 3" when one clicks
on show more below the video at YouTube or direct at

    <URL:https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B1eGH1p97a4STXJTc3lOWFBEa2s>

While the fashions and hair are (still) vintage, the information is
as relevant as ever and worth sharing more widely.

Peter D. Verheyen
Head of Preservation and Conservation
Syracuse University Library
Syracuse, NY 13244
315-443-9756


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 26:15
                 Distributed: Sunday, September 2, 2012
                       Message Id: cdl-26-15-008
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