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College and Research Libraries
July 2004, Vol. 65, No. 4

Book Review

The Strategic Stewardship of Cultural Resources: To Preserve and Protect. Ed. Andrea T. Merrill. New York: Haworth, 2003. 237p. alk. paper, cloth $59.95 (ISBN 0789020904); paper $39.95 (ISBN 0789020912). LC 2002-155851.

A collection of twenty-two papers presented at a symposium on the preservation and stewardship of cultural heritage resources hosted by the Library of Congress in October of 2000 appears as essays in The Strategic Stewardship of Cultural Resources. Editor Andrea T. Merrill of the Office of Security at the Library of Congress selected and arranged the essays in the following general groupings:

• Challenges and risks associated with cultural stewardship;
• Evaluation and strategies for security and preservation programs;
• Aftermath of theft, disaster, vandalism, deterioration, and bad press;
• Funding strategies for preservation and security;
• Security and preservation risks and challenges in the digital environment;
• Innovations in preservation and security: buildings, people, and collections.

Given the importance of these topics and their valuable insights, this volume, copublished simultaneously as the Journal of Library Administration (vol. 38, nos. 1–2/3–4, 2003), is recommended reading for anyone who works in archives, libraries, museums, corporations, churches, and historical societies, large and small, and who shares the challenges addressed in its pages. In short, anyone who is in the business of safeguarding special collections will benefit from these detailed discussions on an unpopular and frequently overlooked aspect of preservation, that of security. As James Billington stated so beautifully in the preface, "we all share a common responsibility to preserve the breadth and depth of the human record."

Although not appropriate as a textbook because its focus is limited to certain aspects of archival management, any syllabus for a course in archives and records, or preservation and conservation, should find this volume under "Recommended" or "Required Readings." At the very least, many of these essays should be welcomed into the canon of preservation literature.

If preservation and protection didn’t go hand in hand, this book could easily have been titled Strategic Models and Measures for the Security of Cultural Resources. What seemed to be a shotgun wedding at first, the link between the two became clearer the more I read. We learn that a secure environment deals not only with safety, but also with carefully controlled environmental conditions, including the development of a solid knowledge of the structures that house our collections (familiarity with architectural details—blueprints or photographs); identification of unmarked keys; designation of responsible persons for various emergency response details; training of all staff in the ability to detect possible suspicious patrons; as well as in the detection of the tell-tale signs of deterioration such as mold, acidification, vinegar smells, insect activity, or rodent droppings. It is emphasized repeatedly that every library employee needs to understand that he or she has a role to play in safeguarding materials.

Andrea Merrill has worked for years in the Office of Security at the Library of Congress, for which she prepares a variety of articles and reports related to the library’s security program. Moreover, she has edited several major exhibitions at various Smithsonian museums. However, Merrill’s editorial skills notwithstanding, nowhere in the book do we hear her voice, as other Library of Congress professionals pen the introduction, preface, foreword, and conclusions. However, Strategic Stewardship does draw from a wide array of expertise and a variety of cultural institutions. Its twenty-two authors include deans of libraries, museum directors, special collections and rare books curators, facilities and security directors, preservation librarians, digital access librarians, an imaging professional, and even the FBI’s Art Theft Program manager.

The layout lends itself to ease of use by grouping the main themes throughout the book and by including in each chapter/essay a one-paragraph summary, followed by keywords—key themes presented in that chapter. Each essay is from six to twelve pages in length, with an average of eight pages of text per chapter. There is a very good notes section for each chapter in the back of the book that includes bibliographic sources. Although great pains have been taken to create a useable, fifteen-page index with topical headings, it is not comprehensive. Two random topic headings I looked up (yes, they are in the book) were not included.

Some of the essays discuss what it means to be good stewards of cultural resources. Developing a strategic vision that includes a detailed disaster plan for your institution is paramount in any preservation and security program. These authors appeal to the need for good bibliographic control of materials and suitable inventory control so that you know where your collections are located. Knowing what you have raises the question of which collections are most valuable with regard to prioritizing conservation needs and, more specifically, which collections get immediate attention during a disaster. Knowing when to rely on external consultants also is addressed.

Other essays illustrate the need to consider collections as "assets," as auditors may require annual "stewardship reports." In addition, these assets may be leveraged in fund-raising to generate new income streams. They also emphasize that both the silent dangers of deterioration as well as the obvious dangers—theft, vandalism, and disaster (such as flooding or fire) that tend to capture the public’s attention—deserve equal attention. Traditionally, when institutions suffered a security breach, it wasn’t publicized for fear of public embarrassment. But by taking advantage of today’s technologies, such as via professional listservs, we can get the word out to warn others of the possible danger of thieves, arsonists, and vandals.

Some of the authors point out the challenges in being able to prove or document our success in slowing collection deterioration. How will the integrity of collections be maintained over time in a digital environment? When is saving data in surrogate form sufficient? How do we assess risks to achieve the right balance between too much and too little security measures?

In conclusion, the authors stress the importance of sharing ideas and results on local, national, and international levels. It is only through cooperative ventures that we can keep abreast of successes and new technologies that may help save our cultural resources today, for the patrons of tomorrow.—Brenda Gale Beasley, Middle Tennessee State University.