Preservation of any collection in a public library setting mostly involves maintaining physical material as much as possible through fiscally feasible processing and conservation procedures. Preservation in a public library setting also involves replacing material with major damage due to normal wear and tear as well as patron misuse and damage.

Preservation begins with processing.

Archival quality material prevents increased decomposition and reduces damage to library material. Therefore, all materials used to process library material will be archival quality such as acid free paper, tape, book jacket covers, stickers, and adhesive.

Monograph Processing Procedure:

Barcode:
Adhere barcode inside book at top right-hand corner of page on front loose end sheet for hardcover monographs or first page of text block for paperback monographs.

Do not cover text such as title to prevent loss of important textual information. Avoid covering images to prevent loss of important visual information.

Dust Jacket:
Protect dust jacket with archival quality dust jacket cover by cutting cover to an inch larger on all four sides than dust jacket. Fold top and bottom of cover to fit snugly over dust jacket and crease smooth with folder. Position book inside covered dust jacket snugly but not too tightly to prevent damage to binding. Make sure book is not upside down. Then attach covered dust jacket to book by adhering acid free book tape to inside flaps of dust jacket and folding under top and bottom edge to tape dust jacket to cover. Dust jacket covers are acid free to prevent acid transfer and other damage to the book.

Property Stamp:
Stamp book with property stamp on top and bottom of text block with black ink. Stamp should be dark enough to easily read. Do not smudge or smear the ink. Do not push down too roughly on stamp to prevent damage to the text block. All loose supplemental material such as posters and charts should also be stamped with property stamp on top right-hand corner of back with black ink. Ink is acid free to prevent acid transfer and other damage to the book.

Check Out Slip:
Attach check out slip to inside front cover on end sheet by moistening adhesive-coated back of check out slip with water and adhering as close to the top of the page as possible. Use thin stripe of PVA adhesive instead of water when attaching check out slip to slick surface because water-moistened check out slip will not stick to slick surface. Also use thin stripe of PVA adhesive instead of water when attaching check out slip to small area to prevent loss of information.

Check out slip may be attached to front loose end sheet or first page of text block to prevent loss of information but may never be placed on full title page. Use thin stripe of PVA adhesive instead of water on check out slip to prevent water damage to text block.

Check out slips are acid free to prevent acid transfer and other damage to the book. Do not lick check out slip to prevent growth and spread of mold. Do not place water-moistened check out slip directly on text block to prevent water damage. Do not cover textual or visual information unless front and back end sheets are identical to prevent loss of important information. Reference books do not receive check out slips.

Call Number:
Open blank Word document. Click on File. Click on Page Setup. Set custom margins to 0.2" at top, bottom, left, and right. Set custom paper size to 1" width and 11" height. Click on Insert Textbox. Create textbox to fit to height and width of page. Click on Format. Click on Text Direction. Choose vertical text with T at top. Set font to Arial 16 Bold. Click on textbox and set format to No Line and No Fill. Save as Call Number Template. All call numbers should follow same formatting for uniformity throughout the entire collection.

Use 1" wide matte polyester continuous stock labels from Computype in Zebra thermal transfer TLP 2844 printer to print call number labels. Labels and ink are acid free to prevent acid transfer and other damage to the book.

Type call number in Call Number Template. Type call numbers with line breaks for books with wide enough spines. Type call numbers with spaces for books with thin spines. Print call number label. Trim call number label to height of call number and width of spine. Use guide to position call number label on spine. Place call numbers with line breaks beginning 2.5" from tail of spine. Place call numbers with spaces ending 1" from tail of spine. Press down call number label to firmly adhere to spine to prevent loss of call number.

Audio Visual Processing Procedures:

Videotape:
Place tape and any accompanying paperwork in plastic videotape case. Adhere barcode to back of plastic case on lower right-hand corner perpendicular to existing barcode. Adhere white acid free sticker stamped with property stamp to front bottom of plastic case. Adhere white acid free sticker stamped with property stamp to spine of tape. Write call number with black permanent marker on white acid free sticker and adhere to spine of tape. Do not cover text to prevent loss of important textual information. Avoid covering images to prevent loss of important visual information. Open Call Number Template. Type call number with line breaks. Print call number with Zebra printer. Trim call number label to height of call number and width of case spine. Place call number on spine of plastic case beginning 2.5" from tail of spine. Press down call number label to firmly adhere to spine to prevent loss of call number.

Cassette Tape:
Place tape and any accompanying paperwork in plastic cassette tape case. Adhere barcode to back of plastic case on lower right-hand corner perpendicular to existing barcode. Adhere white acid free sticker stamped with property stamp to front bottom of plastic case. Adhere white acid free sticker stamped with property stamp to side A or 1 of tape. Write call number with black permanent marker on white acid free sticker and adhere to side A or 1 of tape. Do not cover text to prevent loss of important textual information. Avoid covering images to prevent loss of important visual information. Open Call Number Template. Type call number with spaces. Print call number with Zebra printer. Trim call number label to height and width of call number. Place call number on spine of plastic case ending at tail of spine. Press down call number label to firmly adhere to spine to prevent loss of call number.

CD:
Place disc and any accompanying booklets in plastic CD case. Adhere barcode to back of plastic case on lower right-hand corner perpendicular to existing barcode. Adhere white acid free sticker stamped with property stamp to front bottom of plastic case. Write call number and property information with black permanent marker or silver paint pen on disc and back of pamphlet. Do not cover text to prevent loss of important textual information. Avoid covering images to prevent loss of important visual information. Open Call Number Template. Type call number with spaces. Print call number with Zebra printer. Trim call number label to height and width of call number. Place call number on spine of plastic case ending at tail of spine. Press down call number label to firmly adhere to spine to prevent loss of call number.

DVD:
Place disc and any accompanying booklets in plastic DVD case. Adhere barcode to back of plastic case on lower right-hand corner perpendicular to existing barcode. Adhere white acid free sticker stamped with property stamp to front bottom of plastic case. Write call number and property information with black permanent marker or silver paint pen on disc and back of pamphlet. Do not cover text to prevent loss of important textual information. Avoid covering images to prevent loss of important visual information. Open Call Number Template. Type call number with line breaks. Print call number with Zebra printer. Trim call number label to height of call number and width of spine. Place call number on spine of plastic case beginning 2.5" from tail of spine Press down call number label to firmly adhere to spine to prevent loss of call number.

Monograph Conservation:

Shelve books on tail with spine facing out. Shelve oversized books on spine. Never shelve books on fore edge to prevent text block from falling out of case.

Make minor repairs with acid free book tape and PVA adhesive as necessary. Tip in loose pages with PVA adhesive. Repair paper damage with acid free book tape. Tighten hinges with PVA adhesive. Reattach paperback covers with book tape. Reattach text block to spine liner with tip in with PVA adhesive for hardcover books. Strengthen head and tail of spine on hardcover books with PVA adhesive. Bandage damaged spine on hardcover book with acid free book tape. Replace books with major damage.

Audio Visual Conservation:

Shelve audio visual material properly with other similar material. Store audio visual material in cool, dry environment. Never place magnetic material such as videotapes and cassette tapes on equipment that erases magnetic storage devices. Clean dirty CDs and DVDs with disc cleaning kit as necessary. Replace audio visual material with major damage.

Milner Library Processing Procedure Manual. Normal, IL: Illinois State University, 2007.

"Protecting Dust Jackets with Book Jacket Covers." Gaylord Online. eBound. 26 Oct. 2007. <http://www.gaylordmart.com/page_manager_st_no_ewe.asp?page_ID=bc8&src=gbhome>

Zebra TMC Call Number Labels Page Setup. Normal, IL: Illinois State University, 2007.

Bolger, Dorita F. "Preservation Strategies for Small Academic and Public Libraries." Journal of Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery & Electronic Reserves 15.3 (2005): 110-111.

Green, Sonya L. and Thomas H. Teper. "The Importance of Disaster Planning for the Small Public Library." Public Library Quarterly 25.3/4 (2006): 47-59.

Kennedy, Tara D. "Steamy Situation: Water Emergency in Sterling Memorial Library." Public Library Quarterly 25.3/4 (2006): 89-97.