[PADG:1359] Re: FW: Baker's Double Fold

[Janet Gertz <gertz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I would be interested in knowing how many of you are actually getting 
> questions from your faculty as a result of the publicity surrounding Baker's 
> book. I've heard comparatively little about it here, even from dedicated 
> bibliophiles, although that may change as the faculty come back to campus 
> after the summer break.
> 
> Last spring we started discussions with our faculty about journal management 
> issues, i.e. given our lack of shelf space, what were their preferences with 
> regard to microfilm, electronic files, document delivery, or some kind of 
> cooperative storage arrangement within our consortium. Their main concern 
> seemed to be guaranteed access to the content in perpetuity; in that respect, 
> paper and microfilm are both regarded as "safe". While they like the 
> convenience of electronic journals, they consider them less reliable over 
> time.
> 
> Today I discovered that "Double Fold" has arrived on our approval plan. I 
> wonder how much of Baker's royalties on this title will come from sales to 
> libraries...?
> 
> Sara R. Williams
> Collection Management Coordinator
> University of Tennessee Libraries
> Knoxville TN 37996-1000
> (865) 974-6949
> 

No faculty members have spoken to me about Baker's book at all. 
Several who were at a meeting with me when a third party brought up the
topic both said that they had seen so many brittle, crumbling books in
the stacks that they couldn't imagine where he got the idea that
brittle paper doesn't break -- they knew from their own use of the
collections that it is a serious problem and that microfilming and
other copying methods are an unfortunate necessity.

Janet Gertz
Director for Preservation
Columbia University Libraries
101c Butler Library
535 West 114th Street
New York, NY 10027
212 854-5757
fax 212-854-3290
gertz@xxxxxxxxxxxx