Proposed Collaborative Research Project:
Climatic Differences in Library Material Storage
Conditions
Tom Clareson, LYRASIS
and Ian Bogus, University of Pennsylvania
PAN Meeting
Philadelphia, PA
January 24, 2014
Overview of the Project
• Recognizing the growing interest in shared
print repositories
• What has been missing from the conversation
is the influence of the environment on master
backup volumes
• Identify books commonly held by library
partners in separate climatic regions in the U.S
• Bring the materials together for simple
analysis
Project Goals
• Gain a better understanding of how books
have aged
• Analysis will inform collection, storage,
digitization, and preservation priorities
• Results will be used to make generalizations
about condition that can be used for informed
decision-making
What information do participants want
from this study?
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Brightness test (darkening)
Fold test (paper flexibility)
Strength/burst test (strength)
Place of publication (paper production
differences)
Date (differences in age)
Condition review (general condition)
Availability (trusting WorldCat numbers)
Other information you would like….?
Determining the Study Sample
• Time Period
– 1840-1950 Timespan or other date range?
• How large of a sample size?
• Other sampling parameters?
Selecting Partners –
Interested Institutions So Far…
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Columbia
Cornell
Iowa
Miami (FL)
Michigan
MIT
Northwestern
NYU
Occidental
U of Pittsburgh
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Tulane
U of Washington
UCLA
UCSD
UC-Riverside
Yale
Duke
UIUC
Penn
Ithaka
LYRASIS
Partner Roles
• Knowledge about conditions their collections
were stored in, and the facilities (e.g., air
conditioning installed in 1963)
• Large enough collection to have overlap with
partners for adequate sample size
• Who will be Principal Investigator/Lead?
• What costs will be incurred by partners, PI?
Other Research Issues
• Who will perform the tests on the materials?
• What is the timeline for the project?
• Planning and Implementation in same grant,
or just Planning Grant to start?
• Potential Funders: IMLS, NEH, others?
Next Steps
• Meeting of interested parties this afternoon at
Penn
• Decisions on funders to approach
• Proposal development and submission
• Meeting at ALA Annual 2014 to finalize grant?
• Other steps/issues
• Other overall questions?
Project Contacts
Tom Clareson
LYRASIS
tom.clareson@lyrasis.org
Ian Bogus
University of Pennsylvania Libraries
bogus@pobox.upenn.edu