First created in 1992, this guide is intended to help cultural institutions prepare for emergencies and disasters that may strike their regions. This latest version of the report, prepared by FEMA and the National Endowment for the Arts, provides summary descriptions and contact information for 15 federal grant and loan programs. The report also includes an additional number of sources of federal...

In a recent report on the state of America's collections, The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) noted that over 190 million objects need conservation treatment and 65 percent of collecting institutions have damaged collections due to improper storage. In order to raise public awareness and inspire action, the IMLS has created the "Connection to Collections" website. On the site,...

Founded in 1973, the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NDCC) was created to address the rapid deterioration of older paper-based documents in a number of institutions across New England. On their website, visitors can learn about their conservation and imaging services, and also examine some of their fine resources intended for members of the preservation community. The "Resources" area is a...

"Preserving the Whole appears as the second publication of the Digital Library Federation and reflects the Federation's interests both in advancing the state of the art of social science data archives and in building the infrastructure necessary for the long-term maintenance of digital information." This 53-page report, published this month, considers migration as a preservation strategy for data...

Photographic negatives, motion picture film, microfilm, and sound recordings produced from the 1930s into the 1950s often used cellulose acetate as the transparent plastic carrier. As anyone who has ever come in contact with it well knows, its strong vinegar-like scent is hard to miss. Unfortunately, over time, the material is prone to deterioration, which eventually renders it unusable. In an...

The Getty Conservation Institute generates a variety of thoughtful publications on its work every year. Many of these publications have found their way to this website and their bounty is seemingly endless. There are over 45 publications available, including "Cellulose Nitrate in Conservation," "Chaco Culture National Historical Park," "Conservation of Ancient Sites on the Silk Road," and...

Librarians, information technology specialists, and others will find much to enjoy on this excellent collaborative blog created by the Library of Congress. Called "The Signal," it covers "exciting new developments that have an impact on digital preservation and access." There are 12 experts who contribute posts to the blog on a regular basis and there are well over 400 posts to browse through...