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This paper will discuss the decision between conservation and loss of evidence that can be obtained from an untouched original. The forensic capacities of today and what might be possible tomorrow make the decision to conserve an historic document much more difficult than in the past. Where once conservation was the decision of choice for valuable historic materials, today that decision is much more complicated. What can be lost by washing paper? Fingerprints that might reveal information about past owners? Dirt that might reveal past locations of the document? Analysis of hide that might reveal where the leather came from and when. Analysis of wooden boards that might show where the wood came from and when it was felled? The forensic tools of today have changed the developing relationship between collections conservation and digitalization. There is a current and still developing process for conservation and digitization. How do you decide what to conserve and what may you lose in the conservation, that is what evidence is removed that might be used now and in the future to determine more about the document in hand. For many years it was thought that conservation was the best means of preserving a valuable volume, but today with scientific methods and nondamaging equipment that can capture information from the very paper fibers it may not be best to do conservation which can change the chemical foundation of the historic paper. It may be better to safely house a damaged volume for study using such instruments as hyperspectral imaging. With digital copies of volumes now available for researchers to compare and investigate multiple volumes of the same title, or parts of a title that now can be brought together, the decisions for conservation versus digitization are much more complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preservation advocacy is a key component to protecting collections by engaging and convincing staff to think about how their actions affect the collections. In the same way that conservation of natural resources is now seen as a responsibility for the many and not the few, so too preservation of library collections is not the domain of one but of every one. Institutional understanding of the value of collections, and the appropriate handling and care of those collections is a key component in their longevity. Giving staff a sense of ownership, helping them see themselves as part of the solution can inspire staff to be part of the effort to prolong the life of collections. Using a variety of means from funny skits for staff meetings, to informational web sites, to library displays with examples of damaged materials; the furthering of understanding about micro damage and the best techniques for handling fragile materials is all part of a full range of methods used to boost understanding and engage staff in considering how their own behavior affects collection conditions. This paper will share a multitude of simple but successful means to engage staff in preservation activities whether as part of their normal job in handling materials or as part of a group that works on specific preservation projects such as disaster mitigation planning, cleaning projects or inventorying materials for conservation treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]