Book and Paper: Methods, Materials, and Standards Committee
Preservation & Reformatting Section

2002 Midwinter Meeting at New Orleans
January 21, 2002
Minutes

Members Present

Jean Croft, Liz Dube (chair), Eliza Gilligan (intern), Werner Haun (intern), Emily Holmes, Melissa McAfee, Debra McKern, Roberta Pilette, Thomas Vanderlinden, and guests Jennifer Hain and Ralph Ocker

Minutes

1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM ANNUAL:
   Meeting minutes were approved
2. PARS Strategic Plan: Julian Stam brought the PARS strategic plan to the attention of the committee. This is a relatively new initiative from the PARS Executive Committee. It is a four year plan that will help to coordinate the agendas of the various committees. The committee should regularly evaluate the plan, providing updates and status reports on various initiatives, as well as alerting the Executive Committee to new initiatives which should be included in the plan.
3. REPORTS FROM DISCUSSION GROUPS AND TASK FORCE:
   1. Physical Quality and Treatment Discussion Group (Werner Haun):
      This was a joint discussion group with Preservation Instruction, Education and Outreach. Before the Midwinter Meeting, a survey was sent out on PADG list-serv to gather initial data on training methods and issues. The survey responses were used as a springboard for discussion. The discussion group co-chairs, Christine McCarthy, Collections Conservator, University of Maryland Libraries, and Eliza Gilligan, Book Conservator, Preservation and Exhibition Services Department, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, from Preservation Instruction, Education and Outreach, and Werner Haun from the Library of Congress served as facilitators. They offered their perspectives and experiences, as did those in attendance, to the issues raised in the survey questions. Participants represented a wide range of institutions, collections and preservation programs. The topic generated a considerable amount of interest as demonstrated by the depth and breadth of discussion. Some of the concerns raised were: staff recruitment and retention; differences in training various levels of staff (i.e. students, volunteers, and full and part-time staff); best practices for training in particular techniques; how to identify and fund training needs; how to evaluate the success of training methods.

      As a possible next topic, Meg Brown, University of Kansas, suggested a joint discussion group with the Photographic and Recording Media DG about scrapbook preservation.

   2. Library Binding Discussion Group (Emily Holmes):

      This discussion group was held jointly, as it has been in the recently past, with the Binding Automation Discussion Group . The development and subsequent use of binding software interfaces has been the prominent issue. In light of the recent progress in the development of binding interfaces, David Walls, chair of the Binding Automation Discussion Group, has questioned whether his discussion group is still necessary and relevant, or whether the Library Binding Discussion Group can cover both the traditional binding topics as well as software related topics. Those in attendance voted to combined with Library Binding DG with the Binding Automation DG. This decision will brought to the executive council.

      Also included in the program was a discussion facilitated by Karen Anspach, NISO, concerning the Z39.50 protocol. This standard is up for review, and NISO would like to determine if it is being used. The group determined that it is indeed being used.

      Suggested future discussion topics included ergonomic issues and workflow at a bindery.

   3. B. Cost Study Task Force (Liz Dube):
      The task force reconfirmed their goal of creating a template to help institutions analyze the costs of various preservation activities. To move the project along, members were assigned to revise and/or write portions of the template, as well as begin to outline the text that will accompany the template. A good number of guests attended the meeting, providing valuable feedback and encouragement for the task force to move forward in their writing. The guests urged that the task force does not need to work out every detail in advance, but that moving forward in their writing should prove profitable. The members plan to share current drafts among themselves prior to Annual, including drafts of templates and the text which will accompany the templates.
4. OLD BUSINESS:
   1. No follow up reports from the "To Bind or Not to Bind" program at Annual Conference, Summer 2001.
   2. Stacks Cleaning Program Feedback session. Patricia Palmer Selinger was unable to join the Book and Paper Committee to report to the committee about the stacks cleaning program planned for Annual Conference, Summer 2002, due to her involvement in another committee meeting. The Committee decided to share their comments over email.
5. NEW BUSINESS:
   1. Possible future program ideas:
      Werner Haun has begun working on a program concept for the Annual Conference, and will develop a proposal to share with the committee at Annual 02. Some preliminary topics to be covered would be creating/running conservation repair facilities for small to mid-sized institutions. Christine McCarthy and Eliza Gilligan have shown interest in the program idea, and may be willing to help organize it.

   2. Announcement/other items of business:
      Lynn Gibbs joined the committee to again mention the PARS strategic plan, specifically highlighting section 1.2.2 which deals with several issues of concern to the committee. 1.2.2 calles for identifying and reporting preservation research needs which could result in new standards. Any changes, thoughts, programs, publications or other activities should be reported to Ms. Gibbs for inclusion.