Exploring
What is Preservation?
Definitions | Historical Context: Libraries | Historical Context: Archives | Preservation and New Technologies | Elements of a Preservation Program
What does the term "preservation" mean for libraries, archives, historical societies, and other institutions that hold paper-based collections? Can it be used interchangeably with "conservation," and if not, how are they different? What activities make up a preservation program? How should preservation be implemented in different types of institutions with different types of collections? Does the advent of new technologies mean that traditional methods of preservation are no longer needed?
This section will provide you with some answers to these questions. You will learn how libraries and archives have traditionally defined preservation; how the meaning of preservation and other related terms has changed over the years; and what activities constitute a systematic preservation program.
