The Problems of Preservation: Can Librarians and Publishers Solve Them?

The preservation of library materials is a relatively recent concern of librarians. Research in this area began in the 1950s with William Barrow and his paper research laboratories, where he analyzed the quick rates of book paper deterioration for libraries. International concern for this problem took hold during the Florence Flood of 1966, which devastated Florence and the many great libraries and artifacts found in that city. By the 1970s, library schools began to treat the subject of preservation in library school courses. Today, librarians are looking at their collections and the quality of new materials that are being added to them daily. Librarians and publishers are at odds over the solution to these new preservation problems. However, solutions to the most basic preservation issues are not far away.