Preservation Week – April 25, 2027

History of Preservation Week

The first instance of Preservation Week took place in 2010. It was organized by the American Library Association (ALA) the aim of which was to highlight the importance of preserving cultural heritage materials. The conservation of books and documents involves preserving materials such as paper and ink in an effort to maintain the information contained in them. Conservation includes techniques such as bookbinding, restoration, paper chemistry, and other material technologies that ensure the preservation of archives.

Around 750 B.C., the Old Testament prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah emphasized the importance of conserving documents to be used in the future. Years after that, in 1627, Gabriel Naudé published ”Advis pour dresser une bibliothèthe” which included a chapter discussing book preservation. An all-inclusive national survey was conducted in 2005 on the preservation needs of the U.S.’ written material and artifact collections. The study noted that American institutions hold more than 4.8 billion items. Libraries alone hold three billion, about 63% of the total. The rest is held by individuals, communities, and families. These collections constitute prints, reports, books, photographs and drawings, and objects such as maps, textiles, paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, and furniture. Sound recordings and moving images of performing arts, and oral history, also qualify as heritage items. Today, digital collections are growing in number as technology rapidly evolves.

If natural disasters have taught us any lessons, it is that resources including personal, family, and community collections are at risk of being lost forever if not preserved properly. Creating awareness is one way of encouraging conservation.