Inaugural lectures
Wednesday 18th January 2012 at 5pm – Lecture Theatre SMB 014, Stewart Mason Building
‘Why do you always keep your records in the basement?’ Library preservation and disaster management
Professor Graham Matthews, Department of Information Science
In this lecture Professor Matthews highlights the significance to society of preservation in libraries and considers the need for effective disaster planning and control to deal with the everyday and extraordinary threats to library buildings and their collections.
Why is preservation in libraries important for us? Why should it matter to you? What ‘values’ can we use in selecting material for preservation? Are our collections safe and secure? What measures can be taken to safeguard and protect our documentary heritage?
Professor Matthews takes a look back at 25 years of research with academics and researchers in the UK and across the world to address these questions.
Finally, he looks forward and considers preservation and disaster management in the context of the digital age and the dynamic developments it offers. He considers whether preservation of ‘traditional’ materials still has a role, and, wonders if libraries still need to undertake disaster management, when we have virtual libraries and huge stores in the clouds?