Preserving the Collections of Joyner Library: The Preservation Planning Program. Final Report.

This report is structured to educate East Carolina University about library materials preservation. The library-wide preservation program began at Joyner Library in 1993 with the organization of the Preservation and Conservation Department. The planning phase of the preservation program began in 1995 with the appointment of the Preservation/Conservation Needs Committee. This report is based on the background paper prepared by the Preservation/Conservation Needs Committee during the first planning phase and the task force reports, summaries of which are included in the final report. The study of the physical condition of a small sample of the general collection (100 books selected from 580,623 items in the HORIZON database) determined that education is needed for 35% of all books in the general collection. The need for staff and user education about preservation is based on the amount of current use of the collection; a preservation education program for users and staff can reduce damage to the collection resulting from frequent, sometimes careless, handling. According to the study, rebinding or repair is required for 15% of all books in the general collection. An insignificant percentage of the collection that appears to be missing indicates acceptable security measures within the library. The preservation goals and recommendations can be summarized with five key words: coordination, priorities, prevention, education, and cooperation. (AEF)