May 6, 2015 New Online Preservation Resource, “Saving Our Stuff,” Now Available

The Library of Congress announces a new online resource, “Saving Our Stuff,” to help members of the public preserve their personal and shared collections of papers, books, photographs and other materials. The site provides information on handling, storage and technology considerations.

The Library’s Preservation Directorate created the resource in celebration of Preservation Week 2015 (April 26 – May 1). Preservation Week is an annual, national celebration, launched in 2010 by the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services, a division of the American Library Association, in response to a national survey on the condition and preservation needs of the nation’s collections.

In addition to the web page, the Library is featuring a short-term display, “Saving Our Stuff,” in the North Gallery of the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington, D.C. The display is free and open to the public until Monday, June 22, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Like the online resource, the Jefferson Building display focuses on three topics: handling, safe storage and digital preservation.

“A lot of damage we see comes from moments as simple as leaving a drink unattended or using a little too much force when handling a book. It’s amazing how much you can extend a book’s lifespan just by taking a few easy precautions,” said Beth Kerr, a technician in the Library’s Binding and Collections Care Division of the Preservation Directorate who helped curate the display.

The institutions leading Preservation Week every year include the Library of Congress, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the American Library Association, the American Institute for Conservation, the Society of American Archivists and Heritage Preservation. The organizations spotlight the continuing preservation needs of cultural-heritage materials and highlight efforts and accomplishments for “Saving our Stuff.”

The Library of Congress, the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, holds more than 160 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov.