Preservation and Conservation in Libraries and Archives : a Librarian’s Point of View

Abstract

The preservation and conservation of books and other documents are the responsibility of both libraries and archives. The two notions are not identical and must be defined. Decisions must also be reached concerning the retention of original formats and the production of surrogates. Compromises will often have to be made. Storage conditions and preservation planning are eventually closely linked to access to and use of the collection. There have been major shifts of preservation philosophy and there is a much larger choice of techniques and methods, but much more investment is needed globally, financial but also intellectual with a better training of conservators and conservation administrators.