The British Library Preservation Advisory Centre was established as the National Preservation Office by the British Library Board in 1984,^[1] and was renamed to the British Library Preservation Advisory Centre in 2009.^[2]

During its existence it raised public awareness of preservation issues in libraries and served as a nexus for developing and promoting improved preservation management of library and archive materials in the UK and Ireland.^[2]

The centre closed on 31 March 2014, and all publications and resources were transferred to the British Library Collection Care webpages. ^[3]

Purpose and activities

The Centre aimed to create a strategic policy for preserving current library collections, and addressed issues arising as digital collections evolved.^[4]

Its work was focused on practical results:

To assist cultural heritage agencies and organizations develop strategies for the preservation of cultural heritage assets in museums, libraries and archives, including the further development of the "Preservation Assessment Survey" (PAS)^[5] and training in the use of the PAS tools
To provide print and web-based information services for individuals and organizations, especially for collections throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
To provide training in preservation management for individuals and organizations including relevant training in the following areas: introduction to preservation management; disaster management; environmental control and monitoring.^[6]

The need for national entities like the Centre had been documented in surveys conducted by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Section on Preservation & Conservation and by the Ligue Internationale des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherches. Other than the United Kingdom, at least seven other countries have set up a similar entity, including Canada and New Zealand.^[7]

The Centre published an annual digest and report.^[8]

References

^ Marshall, Vanessa. "Collection Care in Libraries Today," Archived 24 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine Digital Preservation Resources Symposium (2001)
^ ^a ^b About Preservation Advisory Centre
^ "British Library Preservation Advisory Centre". UK Web Archive. 18 April 2014. Archived from the original on 17 April 2014. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
^ Beagrie, N. et al. (1998) "A Strategic Policy Framework for Creating and Preserving Digital Collections." British Library Research and Innovation Report 107.
^ PAS overview
^ goals & objectives Archived 2 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^ Foot, Mirjam. (1997) "Paper: Towards a National Preservation Policy," 63rd IFLA General Conference (Copenhagen).
^ NPO/PAS reports Archived 5 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine

Beagrie, N. and D. Greenstein. (1998) "A Strategic Policy Framework for Creating and Preserving Digital Collections." British Library Research and Innovation Report 107. London: British Library.
Bennett, J.C. (1997) "A Framework of Data Types and Formats, and Issues Affecting the Long Term Preservation of Digital Material." British Library Research and Innovation Report 50. London: British Library.
Clements. (1986). "The National Preservation Office in the British Library," IFLA Journal (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions). 12:25-32.
Feeney, Mary, ed. (1999). Digital Culture: Maximizing the Nation's Investment. London: National Preservation Office, The British Library.
Haynes, D., D. Streatfield, T. Jowett., and M. Blake. (1997). "Responsibility for Digital Archiving and Long-term Access to Digital Data." British Library Research and Innovation Report 67. The British Library, London: United Kingdom.
Hendley. T. (1998). "Comparison of Methods and Costs of Digital Preservation." British Library Research and Innovation Report 106. London: United Kingdom.
Matthews, G., A. Poulter, and E. Blagg. "Preservation of Digital Materials Policy and Strategy Issues for the UK." British Library Research and Innovation Report 41. London: United Kingdom. 1997.
Ross, S. and A. Gow. (1999). "Digital Archaeology: The Recovery of Digital Materials at Risk." British Library Research and Innovation Report 108. London: United Kingdom. 1999.
Stephens, David O. "Digital preservation in the United Kingdom," Information Management Journal, October 2000.

External links

British Library

Named
collections

Ephemera	Ettridge Collection Evanion Collection Francis Place Collection Jaffray Collection National Reports Collection
Literature	Ashley Library Cotton Library Dexter Collection Durrell Collection Eccles Collection Ediciones Vigía Garrick Collection Hannas Collection Harold Pinter Archive King's Library Leyden Medical Dissertations Paston Letters Private Case Suppressed Safe collection Thomason Collection Todd-Bowden Collection of Tauchnitz Editions
Manuscripts	Arundel Manuscripts Coptic Language Collection Cotton Collection Egerton Collection Harleian Collection Royal manuscripts King's manuscripts Lansdowne manuscripts Stowe manuscripts Syriac Collection Stefan Zweig Collection
Maps	Beudeker Collection
Newspapers	Burney Collection
Philatelic	Bailey Collection Blackburn Collection Bojanowicz Collection Booth Papers Burnett Collection Campbell-Johnston Collection Chismon Collection Chinchen Collection Contributions Agency Collection Crawford Library Crown Agents Archive Crown Agents Collection Davies Collection Ewen Collection Feldheim Collection Fitzgerald Collection Fletcher Collection Foreign and Commonwealth Office Foreign Office Collection General Collection Ginger Collection H.M. Customs and Excise Collection H.M. Stationery Office Collection Harrison Collection Harrison & Sons Collection Heys Collection Imperial War Museum stamp collection Inland Revenue Stamping Archive Johnson Collection Kaluski Collection Kay Collection Langmead Collection Landmark Trust Lundy Archive McInroy Collection Model Collection Monks Collection Mosely Collection Muraleetharan Papers Murray Collection Photograph Collection Postal Authority Publicity Collection R.P.S.L. Handouts Collection Row Collection Ryan Collection Seymour Collection Scott Collection Shelley Collection Sherborn Collection Smith Collection Supplementary Collection Tapling Collection Treasury Excise Correspondence Turner Collection of Forgeries Turner Collection of Newspaper Tax Stamps Turner Collection of Railway Letter Stamps U.P.U. Collection Walker Collection Williams Papers Wilson-Todd Collection
Sound	British Library Sound Archive Oral History of British Science St Mary-le-Bow Debates

Other

Authority control databases

Purpose and activities

See also

References

External links