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Collection Preservation:
O'Neill Library Preservation Department
Overview
| Facilities | Services
| Contact Information | Preservation
Information on the Web
Overview
Boston College places a high priority on the preservation of its
library collections. The Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Library Preservation
Department provides a broad range of preservation services for the
seven libraries that house the University's research collections.
The Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Library is the central research library
of the University. O'Neill Library has a well equipped Conservation
Lab, a Bindery, an End-Processing Unit, and a Preservation Management
Office.
Rare
books and special collections are preserved by the John J. Burns
Library Preservation Department.
Facilities
Conservation
Lab
The O'Neill Library Conservation Lab is set up to provide a
wide range of conservation treatments on the reference and circulating
research collections. Traditional book repair tools and equipment
include a board cutter, crimper, and various wooden and iron presses.
All materials used in the Lab are of the best quality available.
The Lab has five workstations and is located adjacent to the Bindery
on the second floor.
Bindery
The Bindery has three staff workstations, two commercial bindery
workstations, a sink, and a processing and packing area. The Bindery
is conveniently located next to O'Neill Library's Loading Dock.
End-Processing
Unit
The End-Processing Unit has five workstations and a central
processing worktable. End-Processing is located in the O'Neill Library
Technical Services Area on the second floor.
Preservation
Manager Office
The Preservation Manager's Office maintains a library of preservation-related
books, serials, journal articles, web sites, product information,
and consultant references, as well as disaster response and recovery
equipment and supplies.
Services
Conservation Lab
A Conservation Specialist, a part-time intern from the North
Bennet Street School Bookbinding Program, and several student employees
provide a wide range of conservation treatment services for items
in the Libraries' circulating and reference research collections.
Damaged
and vulnerable items are routed to the Conservation Lab from the
O'Neill Library Circulation Department, proactively selected from
the O'Neill Library stacks and the End-Processing Unit, and are
routed for treatment from all other Boston College Libraries.
These
treatments range from in-house bindings and custom-fitted protective
enclosures to repair and rebinding of unique items. Repair treatments
may include tip-ins, recasing, new covers, page mending, consolidation
of text block, and preservation photocopying for replacement of
damaged or missing pages or text.
Other
services include execution of disaster response and recovery plan,
exhibit preparation, staff education programs, and consultation
on preservation issues with the Burns Library Conservator and staff
of other Boston College Libraries.
Bindery
Three Bindery Assistants handle preparation for first-time commercial
binding of serials and paperbacks, commercial rebinding and preservation
photocopying of damaged volumes, implementation of binding contracts,
quality control of all bound materials, and replacement processing.
End-Processing
Unit
One End-Processing Assistant and several student employees carry
out final processing of materials new to the various research collections
on campus, including routing of damaged and vulnerable materials
to the Conservation Lab, call number labeling, ownership stamping,
inserting security devices and bookplates, and Rush Request same-day
processing.
Preservation
Manager
The Preservation Manager supervises and coordinates the daily
work of the Preservation Department, which includes the Conservation
Lab, the Bindery, and the End-Processing Unit. The Manager monitors
the environmental conditions in the Boston College Libraries to
ensure the most hospitable environment for the research collections;
plans and prepares for collection emergencies; coordinates collections
disaster response and recovery operations; maintains and updates
the Boston College Libraries Disaster Response and Recovery Plan;
manages the Brittle Books routing to the Conservation Lab; prepares
educational materials; informs and educates the library staff and
university community regarding the Libraries' preservation and conservation
initiatives; plans and supervises outsourcing operations for preservation,
including microfilm reformatting, mass deacidification, and digitization
projects; collaborates with the Collection Development Department
to determine preservation priorities; and coordinates the research
collections preservation activities with the Burns Library preservation
program.
Contact
Information
Jan
Cellucci
Associate University Librarian for Collection Services
Thomas P. O'Neill Library, Jr.
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617 552 1942
celluccj@bc.edu
Frances
Bates
Conservation Specialist
Thomas P. O'Neill Library, Jr.
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617 552 2778
bates@bc.edu
Preservation
Information on the Web
Preservation Department staff regularly consult the
following Web resources.
Harvard
University Libraries Preservation
http://preserve.harvard.edu/index.html
This comprehensive site includes institutional information,
an introduction to Harvard University's preservation programs and
projects, an annotated bibliography to support practical decision-making
in using digital imaging technology to reformat research collections,
and a list of disaster response services, supplies, and vendors.
Northeast
Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)
http://www.nedcc.org
In addition to describing the Andover, Massachusetts NEDCCs mission
and services, this site points to a broad range of preservation-related
resources. These include: preservation funding opportunities, frequently
asked preservation questions, NEDCC publications, and Internet resources
that include materials of interest to institutions and individuals
concerned with the preservation of paper-based collections.
Conservation
OnLine (CoOL)
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/
CoOL, a project of the Preservation Department of the Stanford University
Libraries, covers a wide spectrum of topics related to the conservation
and preservation of library and museum collections. The content
is submitted from a variety of sources, and the centerpiece of the
site is an extensive, fully searchable database of the entire CoOL
document library. In addition to the database, CoOL contains links
to a wide variety of preservation organizations, reports, bibliographies,
and mailing lists.
Library
of Congress Preservation Directorate
http://lcweb.loc.gov/preserv/
This site presents information about the Library of Congress Preservation
Directorate's programs and services, as well as general preservation
information about collections care, emergency preparedness, preservation
standards, research and testing, and preservation education.
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