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The German Research Association (DFG) is actively involved in preservation of research materials; it takes the view that in preservation, the enormous potential of digitization for access should be combined with the stability of microfilm for long-term storage. A working group was convened to investigate the technical state of digitization of microfilm and the changing compatibilities of microforms and digital conversion forms. This report documents the state of development and offers recommendations to serve as technical and organizational guidelines for filming and conversion projects (particularly those in the public domain). Chapters in this report are: (1) Should Endangered Books and Archives Be Filmed or Digitized?; (2) Requirements for Film Quality and Film Organization with Reference to the Option of Film Digitization; (3) Recommendations for the Digitization of Microfilm; (4) Microfilm and Digital Storage Formats as Compatible Media; (5) Digitizing from the Original; and (6) Cooperation and Exchange of Information; and (7) Suggestions for Further Reading. (AEF)

In Russia today, substantial political, economic, and social changes directly affect the preservation efforts of libraries and archives. Prepared by the Deputy Director General of the M. I. Rudomino All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature in Moscow, this report presents a distinctly Russian perspective on the ways in which libraries and archives are attempting to adapt to widespread changes while seeking to maintain their services and introduce new technologies, all with decreasing financial resources. Russian libraries require financial support in addition to verbal support in order to put into action the plans that already exist for preserving Russia's national heritage. This report provides an insider's viewpoint of where preservation efforts stand in Russia. The report covers the following topics: (1) Background--Libraries Under the Soviet Regime, and Preservation Problems; (2) A New Political Environment and its Impact on Preservation--Library Laws for Critical Needs, and Coordinating Functions; (3) The National Preservation Program: Myth or Reality?; (4) Cooperation: National and International Aspects--First Efforts, Other Microfilm Projects, and Microfilm Storage Facilities; (5) Preservation Challenges--Raising Awareness, Management, Preservation Centers, Limitations of Digital Technology, Permanent Paper, and Training; and (6) Closing Remarks. (Author/SWC)

This report examines regional and/or state cooperative preservation programs and related activities. The major part of the report is given over to case studies that present a synopsis of the key structural and program elements of cooperative preservation initiatives. These case studies include the: Office of Library and Archival Materials Preservation (Connecticut); Los Angeles Preservation Network (LAPNET); Nebraska Documents Preservation Advisory Council (NDPAC); Preservation of Acetate-Based Audio Visual Materials (New York); Oklahoma Preservation Initiative; and Pittsburgh Regional Library Center (PRLC) Preservation Service. Information is also presented about three newly organized cooperative programs: (1) North Carolina Preservation Consortium (NCPC); (2) Associated Library Emergency Response Team (ALERT); and (3) AMIGOS Preservation Service. Additional information provided includes a description of the National Conference on the Development of Statewide Preservation Programs, the names and addresses of cooperative preservation service providers, examples of models of cooperation, and a list of states involved in preservation activity. Concluding the report is a selective bibliography on cooperative preservation and a series of preservation-related quotations. (MAB)

This document comprises three progress reports for a 5-year environmental aging study aimed at establishing the lifetimes of magnetic tapes and the poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) base of photographic and electronic film under archival storage conditions. The first annual report (1982) introduces the rationale for the project, provides background information on PET and a review of selected aging studies involving PET, and describes the scope of the current project. The second annual report (1983) provides the results with PET in the first year as well as descriptions of the second year experiments and their subsequent findings. The progress report (1984) summarizes the two annual reports, discusses their findings, proposes further research, and states conclusions for PET films. Each section of the document contains its own set of references, as well as data tables and graphs which support the study's findings. (JB)

The second bulletin of the Microfilm Committee of the International Council on Archives begins with a short history of the origins of the committee. A brief discussion of the committee's 1972 Moscow meeting follows, as does the table of contents of a book on microfilming standards which is being developed by the committee to be published by UNESCO. A list of committee members and corresponding members is provided. Other articles cover: the microfilm clearinghouse of the Southeast Asian Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives; micro photography in Great Britain's Public Records Office; the microfilming of Palestine records at the London Public Records Office; microfilm terminology; microfilming of Zambian archives; the microfiche system at the Canadian archives; microbiodeterioration of microfilm; the microfilm section at the King Abdul Aziz University in Saudi Arabia; a Swedish report on microfilm; and specifications for microform viewers. Abstracts in French and Spanish for some of the articles are appended. (LS)

The Microfilm Committee of the International Council on Archives grew out of various international meetings which began in 1966 with a congress on "Archives for Scholarship--Encouraging Greater Ease of Access." Meetings since then have resulted in recommendations that (1) archives and records should be fully microfilmed and widely distributed for use by researchers; (2) member countries should publish lists of their microfilm; and (3) a group should be established to coordinate microfilm technology information, assist archivists, and issue the present bulletin. This first issue includes a history of the organization; recommendations; a list of corresponding members; articles on microfilm programs in Canada, Hungary, the German Federal Republic, India, Spain, and Macedonia (Yugoslavia); a description of the Mormon genealogical records microfilm holdings; a short item on book cradles used during filming; and technical articles on microfilm salvage after floods and the cause and prevention of microfilm blemishes. Summaries in French, Spanish, and German are provided for some of the articles. (LS)

Discusses a project at Eastern Illinois University for developing an electronic newspaper, digitizing newspaper microfilm, and digital conversion of paper files and indexes. Details include set-up issues, hardware requirements, choosing adequate search software, network arrangements with the university and others, user access, and digitization issues. (JKP)

The Commission on Preservation and Access was established in 1986 to foster, develop, and support collaboration among libraries and allied organizations in order to insure the preservation of the published and documentary record in all formats and provide enhanced access to scholarly information. This annual report describes the following activities: (1) organization of the Commission, support, and a list of the 1993-94 initiatives; (2) the International Program; (3) the Brittle Books Program operated in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to preserve the intellectual content of crumbling books; (4) technology assessment; (5) scholarly advisory committees concerned with providing advice on specific fields of scholarship; (6) communication to promote the preservation and access agenda; and (7) institutional and education initiatives. A special report, "Preservation Science Research," is included. Lists of the Commission's publications, committees and task forces, Board of Directors, and staff are appended together with the organization's financial statements. (JLB)

The Commission on Preservation and Access was established in 1986 to foster, develop, and support collaboration among libraries and allied organizations in order to insure the preservation of the published and documentary record in all formats and provide enhanced access to scholarly information. This annual report describes the following activities: (1) operations, staffing, support, and a list of 1992-93 initiatives; (2) the international project; (3) technology assessment; (4) scholarly advisory committees concerned with providing advice on specific fields of scholarship; (5) brittle books program operated in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Humanities to save three million crumbling books through preservation reformatting; (6) the archives program; (7) communication in order to advocate and promote the preservation and access agenda and provide education and timely information among many constituencies; and (8) institutional and education initiatives. A special report, "From Preservation to Access--Paradigm for the Future," is included. Lists of the commission's publications, committees and task forces, board of directors, and staff are appended, along with the organization's financial statements. (JLB)