Preservation and Reformatting Section

Since the consolidation of PLMS and RLMS into PARS two years ago, the Preservation and Reformatting Section of ALCTS continues to thrive and prosper. At the Midwinter Conference in Philadelphia, many of the section's discussion groups had standing room only attendance. As a result we needed to request larger meeting spaces for all of the discussion groups.

One of the strengths of the PARS section is the discussion group, which provides the membership with an opportunity for networking and information sharing. In the past year they have included the following topics: Preserving the Spoken Word; Lossy or Lossless: File Compression Strategies; Food and Drink Policies in the Library; Paper and Page Mending; Copyright: Understanding the Issues; and the ASTM Paper Aging Research Project. At the Annual conference in New Orleans the section sponsored a very successful program on Selection for Preservation in the Digital Age. . The Photographic and Recording Committee has just completed work on the Shipping Guidelines for Magnetic Media. The section is active internationally and we convened an International Task Force whose charge was analyzing PARS' role in the international arena.

The strength of PARS lies the diverse yet collaborative skills that are the focal point of preservation. The section is concerned with issues that range from fine binding to digital preservation. The members in the section are excellent communicators and are keen on networking and mentoring each other.

The Preservation and Reformatting Section is a vital and energetic group of dedicated professionals and we anticipate a very productive Year 2000.

Barbara Berger
July 13, 1999