BPG Column from the January 1997 AIC Newsletter

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After extending the deadline to the end of October, Betty Fiske, program chair, and Eleanore Stewart, assistant program chair, received 28 submissions of abstracts of papers for the 1997 San Diego meeting. It is an impressive turnout and thanks are extended to everyone who put forth the effort and for their willingness to share information with their colleagues. Papers have been selected to fill a day and a half program: all day Friday, June 13 and Saturday morning June 14. There is a wide range of topics represented and no particular theme. The popular "Tips" session is scheduled, so please be thinking of ideas and techniques to share in five minutes or less. In addition, there will be a Friday luncheon, hopefully with a special speaker, and a breakfast business meeting on Saturday. A reception is being planned for Saturday evening.

Of related interest for the San Diego meeting, the Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group (LCCDG) will meet Saturday afternoon, June 14 from 2:00 to 5:30 pm, concurrently with the Photographic Materials Group. The format this year will be "show and tell", focusing on three areas pertinent to book repair

  1. treatment specifications for repair, rebinding, and rehousing folio (i.e., oversized) materials, including atlases, unabridged dictionaries, and art books;
  2. treatment solutions for reinforcing spiral bindings prior to shelving;
  3. treatment specifications for spine repairs and board reattachment (i.e., rebacking and its modern equivalents).

If you have not yet signed up as an exhibitor and would like to do so, please contact Kate Murray or Don Swanson. The Archives Discussion Group meeting will be held Thursday evening, June 12, for an open carousel session that will focus on surface cleaning. Contact Hilary Kaplan for information.

Very special thanks are due Lyn Koehnline and Jan Paris for drafting BPG commentaries to the AIC Guidelines for Practice on the sections relating to Preventive Conservation and Treatment. They responded quickly to a request for assistance and developed discussion outlines that reflected the special concerns of BPG members, especially those relating to compensation for loss and reversibility of treatment. Thanks are also owed to Maria Grandinette, Eleanore Stewart, and Shannon Zachary who contributed to the BPG effort on the commentaries. BPG outlines and comments were submitted for discussion at the October meeting of the Ethics and Standards Committee, where Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler substituted for Karen Garlic to represent BPG perspectives. Draft commentaries on these sections are expected to published in March for review by the entire AIC membership.

There are positions available on the BPG publications committee. Energetic people are sought who are interested in serving on the committee, which over coming months will be drafting BPG publications policy and shaping procedures to enable us to expand our already active publication program. BPG members who have not yet participated in AIC and BPG committee work should find this a satisfying opportunity and are particulary encouraged to apply. Contact Robert Espinosa, HBL Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602.

Reminders

The next deadline for Professional Associate and Fellow applications is May 2, and all BPG members who are not yet participating at these levels are encouraged to apply. The New Year presents a perfect opportunity to make progress with such deferred intentions! Also, as noted at the last business meeting in Norfolk, student members of the BPG are fully empowered to participate in and vote at business meetings, and are encouraged to do so. Please continue to access the BPG web page for updates, as well as a vehicle to convey your ideas, questions, and concerns (bpg-board@lists.stanford.edu), or contact Walter Henry, BPG Chair, 38872 Bass Common, Freemont, CA 94356-3209.