A2B-Lanca«ter Farming, Saturday, May 1, 1999
Microfilming is recognized as the preservation reformatting medium of choice.
Microfilming is a proven technology. Standards exist for the format itself, for the
process of converting materials to film, and for its archival storage. Quality-pro
duced microfilm stored in an environmentally-safe location has a shelf life of over
500 years.
Bottom line: Microfilming provides a permanent replacement for materials writ
ten or printed on poor quality (brittle) paper. Materials reformatted to microfilm will
continue to be available for use by researchers, scholars, students, patrons, and
the public at-large for generations to come.
Photo shows the Penn State University Libraries Preservation Department staff:
from left, front row, Fran Durkin; Sue Kellerman, preservation librarian and head of
preservation.
Another aspect of reel programming is preparing filming targets to be filmed
along with the newspaper pages. Filming targets alert users on what can be found
on each individual reel of film. Standard targets include: START, END OF REEL,
PLEASE REWIND. Other targets typically included on each reel are title and author
information, reel contents notes, name of the institution preparing the material for
filming, funding information, and name of the microfilm vendor.
Photo shows preservation staff members (front to back) Celia Schultz and Larry
Wentzel printing a filming target to be added to a volume.
(Continuad from Pag* A 24)
files, and photographs are in
danger of extinction because of
the acidic wood-pulp paper used
in printing Acidic paper when
exposed to light, temperature,
humidity, and pollutants turns
yellow and brittle within a short
period of time
Frequently referred to as “slow
fires,” this paper deterioration
problem began in the 1870’s
when paper manufacturers began
Reformatting Lancaster Farming, A Photo Essay
making paper from woodpulp
sized with acidic alum. Over time,
the woodpulp paper absorbs
moisture and acidic salts form,
which react with the fibers of the
paper The paper fibers slowly
begin to break down, causing the
paper to become brittle,
weakened, yellowed, and
eventually unusable. For several
years now, many libraries and
repositories have adopted
numerous preservation methods
to combat the deterioration of
paper-based collections. One such
preservation method used
worldwide.
The following photographs
document the Penn State
University Libraries’ preservation
department’s effort to convert the
Lancaster Farming newspaper
from its original paper format to
microfilm is the activity of
preservation reformatting.
Reformatting by microfilming is
considered the option of choice to
preserve the intellectual contents
(written and/or printed matter and
illustrations) of crumbling papers.
Collating is a very labor intensive task. Generally all
preservation staff assist with this phase of a filming pro
ject.
Photo shows preservation staff members (front to
back) Larry Wentzel, Heather Shakley, and Ceilia Schultz
each collating a volume.
The first step in any microfilming project is to conduct
an inspection of the material selected for filming. This
process is known as collating. All materials are examined
for Its physical condition and completeness. Each page of
each volumes is carefully checked to determine if there
are any missing pages, torn or folded pages, or if any
pages need to be repaired before filming takes place If
any pages are missing, every attempt Is made to find
replacements.
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