When materials are received, they are logged into a tracking database and shelved in the Material Storage area, which is a climate-controlled environment with conditions ideal for storage of paper. Because they work with a wide variety of materials, staff are trained in materials handling and bibliographic skills. The diversity of the Preservation Resources staff provides significant language capability, allowing preparation, microfilming and digitization of a variety of collections such as Japanese Occupation Periodicals and Vietnamese newspapers for the Library of Congress. Approximately one-fourth of the materials arriving at Preservation Resources receive some level of preparation. As information professionals, the Preparation Department staff are responsible for providing in-house expertise on the many formats of library materials and their bibliographic anomalies.
Staff prepare materials to be microfilmed according to the client s needs.
Once materials have been prepared, they are ready for the camera studio. This camera, which is one of only two like it in the United States, was customized for oversized materials such as Columbia University Libraries 19th and 20th Century Theatre Posters. The vault is a unique feature of the facility, providing climate-controlled storage of print masters. Over 50 institutional clients choose to store more than 87,500 print masters in the vault to safeguard the film, to conserve space at their institution and to facilitate efficient ordering for duplication. Preservation Resources is continuously focused not only on providing specialized services but also extremely high-quality products.