March 19, 2013 (REVISED April 18, 2013) Library of Congress Celebrates Preservation Week

The Library of Congress, along with the American Library Association (ALA), will celebrate Preservation Week 2013 with a special focus on saving the mementos of military members and their families—digital and analog correspondence, photos, videos, scrapbooks and albums, and objects such as medals and uniforms.

The Library will host a number of events, from Monday, April 22 through Friday, April 26, to share care strategies for these priceless keepsakes, so they can be passed on to future generations.

All the events are free and open to the public, and will take place in the Library’s James Madison Building, 101 Independence Ave. S.E., Washington, D.C. The Library’s Preservation Week celebration also will include a webinar and a Veterans History Project digital presentation.

Preservation Week Events

Monday, April 22, noon to 1:30 p.m.
“Preserving Your Memories: Print and Digital Photographs”
Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the Madison Building
Conservators will highlight basic preservation measures one can do at home to care for photographs. Digital archivists will cover preservation considerations for digital photo files. The 2012-2013 Fellow in Photograph Conservation will present research and treatment of a World War I photograph album. Staff from the Library’s Veterans History Project will share information on how to participate in the project.

Monday, April 22, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
“Rosenzweig Forum on Technology and the Humanities: Preserving and Interpreting Born-Digital Collections”
Mumford Room on the sixth floor of the Madison Building
Presenters will discuss how their organizations are acquiring, managing, analyzing, preserving and providing access to born-digital collections. The Rosenzweig Forum for the Digital Humanities is a collaboration of the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media at George Mason University, the Center for New Designs in Learning and Scholarship at Georgetown University and the Maryland Institute for Technology in the Humanities at the University of Maryland.

Tuesday, April 23, noon to 2 p.m.
“These Amazing Shadows: The Movies that Made America”—Film
Pickford Theater on the third floor of the Madison Building
This 2011 documentary illustrates the history and importance of the National Film Registry, the Library’s collection of 600 films—with up to 25 added each year—identified as culturally, historically or aesthetically significant. Featuring interviews with Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and experts from the Library’s Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation, the film champions preservation of our material heritage as a celebration of the American experience. Introductions by the Library’s Mark Sweeney, director for Preservation and Liz Stanley, preservation specialist.

Wednesday, April 24, noon to 1 p.m.
“Preserving Your Memories: Traditional and Digital Albums and Scrapbooks”
Dining Room A on the sixth floor of the Madison Building
Conservators will highlight basic preservation measures one can do at home for long-lasting albums and scrapbooks; present the pros and cons of dismantling old scrapbooks and albums in poor condition; and discuss how to address condition problems. Preservation considerations for digitals albums and scrapbooks will be discussed. Staff from the Library’s Veterans History Project also will share information on how to participate in the project.

Friday, April 26, noon to 1 p.m.
“PAC: A Packed Agenda for Conserving Libraries' Heritage -- 20 Years of Changes and Development”
Pickford Theater on the third floor of the Madison Building
Christiane Baryla, director of the International Federation of Library Associations Core Activity on Preservation and Conservation, will speak on international preservation efforts.

Preservation Week Virtual Events

April 21 to 27, Veterans History Project Digital Presentation
The website presents seven collections that represent the wide variety of concerns that must be addressed when preserving the first-hand accounts of America’s veterans. Available at www.loc.gov/vets/stories/ex-war-preservation.html

Wednesday, April 24, 2 p.m. EDT
Webinar: “Preserving Your Personal Digital Photographs”
The Library’s National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program will present information about learning to care for digital photos. Hosted by the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services. Free, but registration required at www1.gotomeeting.com/register/876436809 External.

Preservation Week—an initiative supported by the Library of Congress, the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services of the ALA, the Institute of Library and Museum Services, the American Institute for Conservation, the Society of American Archivists and Heritage Preservation—encourages libraries and other collection institutions to connect to our local communities and inspire action to preserve our collective heritage. Visit the 2013 Preservation Week website External for more information.