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A new method was developed by the Image Permanence Institute for monitoring the effects of dynamic environmental conditions on organic materials in order to make it easier to manage the preservation of library and archives collections. This new approach to preservation management applies to the many types of scholarly resources for which research and academic institutions are responsible. The Time-Weighted Preservation Index (TWPI) provides a new way to measure and quantify how temperature and humidity changes affect the preservation quality of storage environments for paper, photographic, and magnetic tape collections, and any other type of organic material. The concept is illustrated with examples and explanations are given on how relatively small changes in storage conditions can result in significant improvements in the useful life of library and archives collections. Plans for the Preservation Environment Monitor are also described. Appendices provide information on the following: forms of deterioration in organic collection materials, deterioration mechanisms and test methods; specific origins of the preservation index (PI) model and how the PI model compares with other published models; and temperature and RH equilibration in TWPI analysis. (Contains 39 references.) (AEF)

This final report of the Review and Assessment Committee reviews the 5-year history of the Commission on Preservation and Access, a private, nonprofit organization that works through existing institutions and groups to foster, develop, and support collaboration among libraries and allied organizations in order to ensure the preservation of the published and documentary record in all formats, and to provide enhanced access to these records. The first two of four sections in this report present an assessment of progress in preservation in the nation over the past 5 years, a discussion of the continuing need for preservation activities, and the major issues of the future of preservation. The third section reviews and assesses the role of the commission, with particular attention to the identification of those areas of preservation in which the commission can be most effective in promoting the interests of the national library and archival community. The fourth section presents 20 recommendations for directions the commission should take in the future. (MAB)

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)

From the earliest discussions of the nationwide preservation challenge, it has been clear that neither time nor financial resources would permit the salvaging of all the books at risk. As a consequence, selection strategies are of paramount concern. To provide the scholarly perspective for these essential deliberations, the Commission on Preservation and Access has charged the Committee on Modern Language and Literature with the task of determining how scholars in this particular field use library materials in study and research, the types or genres of books and journals that are likely to remain of greatest importance and of least importance, and which strategies might make the selection-for-preservation process more effective for the needs of future scholars. This report, which marks the culmination of 18 months of such study by the committee, presents summaries of the types of preservation issues that were faced and the basic principles, recommendations, and actions which emerged from the committee's discussions. (MAB)