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Slow Fires Still Burn: Results of a Preservation Assessment of Libraries in L’viv, Ukraine, and Sofia, Bulgaria
Full text linkEast Central European libraries face a serious threat of the potential disintegration of the vast majority of Slavic publications printed in the twentieth century. This loss will come as result of the combination of inferior materials used to produce most twentieth-century Slavic publications and inadequate facilities to house these collections. In an effort to gain a better understanding of the condition of Slavic publications, over the past two years, the authors have conducted collection condition surveys and reviewed the preservation operations of three major academic libraries in L’viv, Ukraine, and Sofia, Bulgaria. This paper presents the results of these surveys
Electronic Resources: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing?
Full text linkThis article examines the impact of electronic technology on libraries and scholarship. It focuses on some of the challenges of using electronic resources in research libraries, which include the cost of acquiring electronic formats and the effect that such expenditures have on other library services and collection development practices. The article also explores how electronic resources have changed the way students and scholars conduct research. The goal of this essay is not to criticize or condemn electronic formats but, rather, to illustrate that electronic technology is simply one tool, among others, for the dissemination of information. As such, electronic resources should complement rather than replace other formats
Into the Dustbin of History? The Evaluation and Preservation of Slavic Materials
Full text linkOne of the greatest challenges facing area studies librarians today is preservation of collections. Area studies collections in libraries, the backbone of international studies programs for most colleges and universities in North America, are in danger. Most materials in these collections were published on acidic paper and poorly bound leaving them susceptible to rapid deterioration. Slavic collections, for example, appear to be in dire need of preservation treatment, but there is very little hard data on the scope of the problem. This research project, conducted at the University of Kansas Libraries, is the first step toward gaining a better understanding of the overall condition of Slavic collections. A survey of the Slavic holdings was conducted to provide statistical information on their physical condition. Results of the survey reveal that the condition of these collections should be cause for serious concern. However, the problems are not so great that they cannot be overcome through careful preservation planning and interlibrary cooperation