Media Preservation

Media Preservation
Preservation is a long-standing tradition at Stanford Libraries. The integration of media preservation with the services provided by DLSS insures fundamental preservation principles are brought to bear as we build digital library collections. With respect for the integrity of original materials as they undergo reformatting, we set high standards for digital imaging of print materials as well as the reformatting of audio-visual collection items. This approach distinguishes and enriches SULAIR's digital library initiatives.

Media Preservation's Role in Imaging
Media preservation services play a large role in digital imaging at Stanford. With the underlying goal to create a digital surrogate that represents as many of the physical qualities of an object as possible, DLSS staff members evaluate the appropriate capture technology and specifications to suit the project, balancing the intended use of the materials with the constraints of technology, time, and resources.

We provide expertise on file formats, best practices, and quality assurance. Staff members also consult on the care and handling of original print materials as they undergo digitization, including rare books from Special Collections to circulating materials, scanned in one of the DLSS Labs. Services in collection assessment for reformatting projects and long-term storage of reformatted materials are also provided.

Media Preservation's Role in Audio-Visual Collections
Due to the fragile and unstable nature of audio-visual media, original archival materials in these forms are reformatted for access and preservation purposes. Media materials are reformatted on an as-needed basis when requested by a library user, if copyright permission is granted, and if an access copy is unavailable. In tandem with this use-based approach, the physical condition of audio-visual collection materials is assessed in order to establish reformatting priorities.

A large part of this preservation reformatting effort is focused on the film, video, and audio materials within Stanford's Special Collections and the Archive of Recorded Sound. Notable archival collections rich with audio-visual media include the R. Buckminster Fuller Papers, the Allen Ginsberg Papers, and the Monterey Jazz Festival Collection.

Some audio reformatting is carried out using in-house facilities, but often the reformatting process is outsourced to professional facilities with the necessary equipment and technical skills to handle the complexities of obsolete recording formats and degrading media. Plans are underway to build a media preservation lab at Stanford to handle a wide range of media formats.

DLSS staff also work closely with members of the Technical Services and Collections & Services divisions on matters related to the handling, storage, cleaning, and repair of original media materials.

Resources on the preservation of sound and moving image materials are available at Conservation Online (CoOL).