[vcf-midatlantic] An idea for preservation and a proposal for the future of the VCF's library of written media.

[Eric Rangell]

Hi all,
After working with Bill Degnan on his archive of print media we decided to showcase a selection of magazines in the library section of his museum, and keep the rest of the materials in numbered boxes.
Photos were taken of the materials in each box which can be used to produce Finders Aids, which list the resources available and where they are located.
This model is based on the system used by the Hagley library, for example: https://www.hagley.org/research/programs/sarnoff-library-project/sarnoff-library-collections <https://www.hagley.org/research/programs/sarnoff-library-project/sarnoff-library-collections> 
However, even cataloging the rich collection of materials requires data entry work and selection of the appropriate software for hosting it.
The level of granularity for the finders aids is also a consideration.  Somebody with experience in library science would be useful for establishing best practices for such a project.
Ultimately it comes down to prioritizing the preservation of materials based on factors such as condition.
Another example project to look at was the preservation of Ted Nelson’s junk mail collection on the Internet Archive, which was self-funded by donations to paid volunteers who scanned the materials.
Eric