the silver bullet? the implications of digitisation for the preservation of newspaper content
DESCRIPTION
The silver bullet? The implications of digitisation for the preservation of newspaper content. Deborah Novotny Head of Preservation. IFLA Newspapers – New Delhi 25th – 28th February 2010. Overview:. BL newspaper strategy – new building Switch-over from microfilm to digital - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The silver bullet? The implications of digitisation for the
preservation of newspaper content
Deborah NovotnyHead of Preservation
IFLA Newspapers – New Delhi25th – 28th February 2010
Overview:
• BL newspaper strategy – new building
• Switch-over from microfilm to digital
• Legacy issues with acetate microfilm – cold storage
Colindale reading room
3
Colindale stacks
Colindale
Colindale
Colindale
Preservation Needs Assessment Survey
65.9
234
.08
66.2
733
.73
68.7
331
.27
70.9
029
.10
72.0
627
.94
73.7
526
.25
83.7
316
.27
86.9
813
.02
88.2
511
.75
89.9
310
.07
90.6
69.
34
91.3
68.
64
92.3
57.
65
0.00
10.00
20.00
30.00
40.00
50.00
60.00
70.00
80.00
90.00
100.00
Per
centa
ge
of su
rvey
Stable
Unstable
Building 31 – Boston Spa (ASP)
Building 31
Building 31 – racking
Building 31
Preservation copying policy - considerations
• Trusted digital repository
• Proven metadata
• Accepted international standards for the production of digital surrogates
• Inclusion of records into national/international registry
• Cost benefit of life cycle digital asset management
14
Acetate degradation – the path of decay
Path of autocatalytic decay
15
Acetate degradation
Cracking/crazing of the film base Bubbles of acid in the film base
16
BL Preservation Cold Store at Vindon- the cold rooms
rooms designed & built on site
shelving & ducting is grade 304 stainless steel
vertical rear plenum located at the rear of each room
air is attracted at high level through this plenum by fan(s).
air is then passed over the cooling coils to floor mounted ducting system where the “conditioned” air passes into the room through adjustable vents.
shelves are perforated for maximum exposure to conditioned air
17
BL Preservation Cold Store at Vindon- the cold rooms
BL Preservation Cold Store at Vindon- the cold rooms
19
BL Preservation Cold Store at Vindon- the cold rooms
20
BL Preservation Cold Store at VindonFacts & figures
Steady controlled temperature at 5°C (1° tolerance)
Steady controlled RH at 35% (3 % tolerance)
24hr secure monitoring with emergency back-up and disaster recovery
Online retrieval process
Secure remote access to database of holdings
Dedicated acclimatisation room to allow film to be retrieved an processed safely
Dedicated work space for BL staff for collection management activities
From this…
22
The preservation impact
Moving the microfilm collection into the new storage suite at Vindon has had a major impact on the preservation of the collection
The doubling of free acidity in actively degrading film→ Increased from 10 years to 200 years
The development of acidity in films not actively degrading→ Increased from 80 years to 350 years
Natural age rate (non-acetate)→ Reduced from “moderate” to “very slow”
Preservation Index (PI = units = years, the higher the PI the better conditions are for preserving organic material)→ Increased from 63 years to 488
23
From this…
24
…to this
25
From this…
26
…to this
27
…to this
Thanks & Questions
Useful addresses:
Vindon Scientific Ltd – www.vindon.co.uk
Preservation Advisory Centre – [email protected]
Deborah Novotny – [email protected]
I would like to thank colleagues in the British Library for their support and help with this presentation, especially Sandy Ryan (Senior Preservation Coordinator)