R E P O R T
Reformatting (Analog/Digital) Discussion Group
Preservation & Reformatting Section
2002 Midwinter Meeting at New Orleans
January 19, 2002

Report

Steve Chapman, Preservation Librarian for Digital Initiatives at Harvard University, discussed the Digital Library Federation (DLF) "Registry of Digital Reproductions of Paper-Based Books and Serials" (http://www.digilib.org/collections/reg/reg.htm) and the "Draft Benchmark for Digital Reproductions of Printed Books and Serial Publications" (http://www.rlg.org/standards/draftbmark.htm). To learn more about the Registry, you can view the following items:
1.) "More Access at Less Cost: The Case for a Digital Registry" http://www.diglib.org/collections/reg/regcase.htm
2.) "Registry of Digital Reproductions of Paper-based Books and Serials. Functional Requirements." http://www.clir.org/diglib/collections/reg/regfunc.htm
3.) "Draft report of a meeting held on 11 April 2001 to consider the potential uses of a service that registers digitized books and journals and to consider implementation."
http://www.clir.org/diglib/collections/reg/regsum.htm
You can also contact Steve Chapman: stephen_chapman@harvard.edu

Walter Cybulski led discussion regarding a concern raised by Lydia Preiss of the National Library of Australia, Canberra, who asked what current thinking might be regarding "the future of microforms for preservation and access in an increasingly digital world." Responses were mixed. Some believe that preservation microfilming will remain the dominant reformatting option, particularly for brittle materials, well into the future; others noted that funding for microfilming may be discontinued, in part due to the promotion of digitization programs. In response to a concern raised about continued industry support for microfilming tehchnology, it was pointed out that microfilm technology was very strong in Europe and it could at some point become necessary for U.S. libraries to purchase equipment and supplies from European manufacturers. This is already the case with high-end microfilm cameras, none of which are currently being manufactured in the! U.S.< br>
- Walter Cybulski
Moderator, PARS Reformatting (Analog/Digital) Discussion Group