Mark Roosa, chief of the Library's Conservation Division since 1998, has been named the Library's director for preservation, a position that will be key to the Library's future digital preservation efforts. He will direct the work of some 200 staffers in the Preservation Directorate, which consists of five divisions -- Conservation, Binding and Collections Care, Research and Testing, Preservation Reformatting, and Photoduplication Services -- as well as the Mass Deacidification Program and the U.S. Newspaper Program.
Mr. Roosa and others in the Library have been studying recommendations in the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report, LC21: A Digital Strategy for the Library of Congress, many of which, he said, were "very direct and accurate." "The top priority of the Preservation Directorate for the next 18 months will be to focus on digital preservation issues. Part of that process will be to develop a strategic digital preservation plan for the Library," Mr. Roosa said.
He emphasized that this effort will involve digital technology experts throughout the Library as well those in the private sector, education and academia. "We want partners who play significant roles in preserving the universe of digital information," he said.
Mr. Roosa holds degrees from the University of Minnesota and the University of California, Berkeley. He received postgraduate certification in preservation administration from Columbia University. He is a past participant in the Library's Mellon Preservation Intern Program and has held preservation positions at the University of Delaware and the Huntington Library.
