Manuscripts and Archives is supporting a collaborative project between the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), Heritage Preservation , the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) , the Museum Computer Network (MCN) , and the Center for Research Libraries (CRL) to develop a methodology for assessing the preservation needs of digital collections in museums. The project responds to sweeping changes in museum operations as they begin to digitize collections and make them available through electronic networks. The goal is to explore emerging issues as a basis for drafting planning tools and guidelines that will help museums maintain and preserve digital assets. The project is a logical outgrowth of IMLS' long-standing support of surveys of museums' preservation needs, through the Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) and the Conservation Projects program (CP), and seeks to transform the survey process to address digital collections. The project will develop tools that can be used and disseminated into the future. They can also be adapted to serve allied communities such as libraries. The expected outcome is the dissemination of practical assessment tools and guidelines to assist special collections and museum staff in planning for the maintenance and preservation of existing digital resources.

For more information on this project, contact:

Kevin L. Glick
Electronic Records Archivist
Yale University
kevin.glick@yale.edu
(203) 432-2202