The unique role of the Archives and Special Collections at Palo Alto College requires distinct preservation activities, a set of activities and overall approach to maximize the life expectancy and utility of the materials stored in the archives. Through a balanced approach, the archivist collaborates with librarians and facilities staff to ensure the integrity of analog and digital objects held in Ozuna Library.
Audiovisual digitization
VHS player with digitization capabilities available. Due to the likely presence of sticky-shed syndrome on VHS tapes, this resource should only be used sparingly.
Photograph, Paper, and Transparency Digitization
Epson 12000XL-PH and Canon 9000F Mark II. Transparency covers for negative and slide scanning available for both. These two scanners are available to make digital copies of materials, especially important for materials that should not be handled excessively.
Disaster Preparedness
The archives maintains some disaster/recovery supplies in the library workroom.
Environmental Monitoring
Temperature and relative humidity are regularly monitored by the archivist. Hygrometers are stationed in each room holding archival collection.
American Institute for Conservation. Caring for Belongings.
Indiana University. FACET: The Field Audio Collection Evaluation Tool. 2007.
National Archives and Records Administration. How to Preserve Family Archives.
University of Virginia. Supply Vendors: where to buy preservation supplies.
Here are some materials available to learn about the importance of environmental control in archives:
Barclay Ogden Library Preservation Department, University of California Berkeley. Collection Preservation in Library Building Design. 2004.
British Library Preservation Advisory Centre. Managing Pests in Paper Based Collections.
Harris, Carolyn L. and Banks, Paul N. The Library Environment and the Preservation of Library Materials. Facilities Manager, Fall 1990. pp 21-24.
Image Permanence Institute. Seminar Reference Workbook for Sustainable Preservation Practices for Managing Storage Environments. 2010.
Image Permanence Institute. Step-by-Step Workbook: Achieving a Preservation Environment for Collections. Rochester, NY: Rochester Institute of Technology, 2005.
Library of Congress. Care, Handling, and Storage of Books.
Michalski, Stefan. The Ideal Climate, Risk Management, the ASHRAE Chapter, Proofed Fluctuations, and Toward a Full Risk Analysis Model. Getty Conservation Institute [2007].
National Information Standards Organization. Environmental Guidelines for the Storage of Paper Records. Technical Report NISO-TR01-1995.
Northeast Document Conservation Center. NEDCC Preservation Leaflet: Temperature, Relative Humidity, Light, and Air Quality: Basic Guidelines for Preservation. 1999.
Northeast Document Conservation Center. Preservation 101: Caring for Paper Collections – External Factors.
Northeast Document Conservation Center. NEDCC Preservation Leaflet: Emergency Management, Integrated Pest Management.