The purpose-based library: finding your path to survival, success and growth

Abstract

The goal of the editors is to provide an essential, one-stop reference resource, targeted particularly at those working in smallto medium-sized organisations. The editors and many of the contributors share a common characteristic of having taught preservation management courses to postgraduates and consequently have aimed to provide a text that would meet the requirements of such courses. The book is divided into four parts. The first covers the fundamentals: the preservation landscape, principles, policy assessment and planning. The chapter on preservation principles is particularly interesting and useful. it provides a very clear statement of the context and aims of preservation and lists a number of general and specific principles. These principles apply to digital and analogue objects and underpin all the other chapters. The next part of the book considers preservation from a collection-level perspective and is followed by a single chapter on creating preservation-friendly objects. The fourth and final part of the book is the largest component. up to this point, all chapters have been written by harvey and Mahard, but a wealth of experts now provide very specialised advice on preservation issues relating to different materials and media, ranging from paper objects and books to textiles and paintings. The coverage of such diverse media does indeed make this a comprehensive, one-stop reference resource. The concluding bibliography and list of standards provide the necessary pointers to further information, if needed. in summary, this is a very rich and detailed handbook, which fulfils its aim admirably. it is refreshing to see a preservation management text with a genuinely inclusive scope, setting out clear principles that are applicable to both digital and analogue collections.