Middlebury College Library and Information Services does many things to preserve our collections.  For instance, we regularly backup up computer file servers, bind heavily used paperback books in the circulating collections, perform conservation treatments on rare books in Special Collections, and digitize photos and films in the College Archives.  Plus we spend a lot of time doing one of the most important things–  getting and keeping things organized!

To mark Preservation Week, we’re reminding you that it’s easy to take some basic steps to preserve your own important family collections.   Here’s a great web page that will tell you pretty much all you need to know!  http://atyourlibrary.org/passiton/preserving-your-treasures

And we love this short video, Why do Old Books Smell?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInTfrDnA   It reminds us that one of the most important things we can do is provide a good climate for our collections to slow the rate of organic decay.