Volume 18, Number 1
Apr 1994

Two National Preservation Plans

• Netherlands. The National Preservation Office of the Netherlands (CNC) issued an English-language report last November, which supported the idea of international cooperation for dealing with deteriorating paper materials in the Netherlands. Its first goal is to microfilm one copy of each publication published in the Netherlands in the last two centuries, including newspapers, then to store the originals under controlled conditions until they can be deacidified. The report, The Future of Our Paper Past (CNC-Publications, 5), is available from CNC Secretariat, c/o Prins Willem-Alexanderhof 5, PO Box 90407, 2509 LK The Hague, The Netherlands. The CNC is operated jointly by the National Library and the State Archives.
• Australia. The National Preservation Office, established last year (May 1993 Abbey Newsletter, p. 2b), now has a staff of three and issues an attractive brochure which describes the office and current preservation issues. It lists six functions under the heading, "How the National Preservation Office can Help You":

  Information: The National Preservation Office operates a free referral and information service in all aspects of library preservation....

  Newsletter: The National Preservation Office publishes news items in a quarterly supplement to the National Library of Australia News.... [The eight-page quarterly supplement for February 1994 includes a description of how newspapers are microfilmed, "News and Notes" from the Office, and an interview with Neil Radford, the University Librarian, on the continuing mold problem at a University of Sidney library: "Books at Risk," by Diana Giese.]

  Published material. The National Preservation Office has commenced a program of producing a range of both free and priced items on preservation issues. Material will include information sheets, posters and conference proceedings.

  Conferences and seminars. The National Preservation Office organizes an annual conference on a major preservation issue. It also organizes regular seminars and workshops... throughout Australia.

  Heritage grants. Each year the National Preservation Office makes available a small number of grants to carry out preservation projects on documentary heritage collections of national significance.

  National awareness. The National Preservation Office is committed to maintaining and developing an awareness of preservation issues. It lobbies for the wider use of permanent paper in publishing [and] for the development of standards, and it makes every effort to ensure that preservation issues are covered in the media.

  For information, or to be put on the mailing list of the newsletter, contact the National Preservation Office, National Library of Australia, Canberra, ACT 2600 Australia, (06) 262 1137; Fax (06) 273 4493; email jlyall@nla.gov.au. (1G5)