For immediate release | May 23, 2013

Archival preservation—a seminal work now fully updated

CHICAGO — Access to archival material, the documentary heritage of people all over the world that gives them their identity and ensures their rights, is dependent on the survival of fragile materials: paper, parchment, photographic materials, audiovisual materials and, most recently, magnetic, optical and increasingly digital formats. Archivists in all types of organizations face questions on how to plan a preservation strategy in less than perfect circumstances, or deal with a sudden emergency. The new second edition of “Preserving Archives,” published by Facet Publishing and available through the ALA Store, considers the causes of threats to the basic material, outlines the preservation options available and offers flexible solutions applicable in a variety of situations. Authors Helen Forde and Jonathan Rhys-Lewis thoroughly update the text with additional material on digital preservation and environmentally conscious practices, as well as a new chapter on the management and training of volunteers, reflecting a key concern for many archival institutions. Offering a wide range of case studies and examples from international specialists, other topics include:

  • Understanding archival materials and their characteristics;
  • Managing digital preservation;
  • Archive buildings and their characteristics;
  • Safeguarding the building and its contents;
  • Managing archival storage;
  • Managing risks and avoiding disaster;
  • Creating and using surrogates;
  • Exhibiting archives;
  • Handling the records;
  • Managing a pest control program;
  • Training and the use of volunteers;
  • Putting preservation into practice.

Forde is a professional archivist who has worked in local authority, private and national archives. Until 2001 she was head of preservation services at the UK national Archives, where she had previously been in charge of both the library and the museum. She has taught preservation management and worked as an independent consultant on archives.



Rhys-Lewis is preservation and collections management consultant with more than 25 years’ experience within local government and as an independent consultant. He trains, lectures and publishes on preservation and preservation management.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. Founded in 1976 by Patricia Glass Schuman and John Vincent Neal, ALA Neal-Schuman, now an imprint of ALA Publishing, publishes professional books for librarians, archivists, and knowledge managers. Contact us at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.

Related Links

"Preserving Archives, Second Edition"

"Preservation and Conservation for Libraries and Archives"

"The No-Nonsense Guide to Archives and Recordkeeping"

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