Association of Research Libraries (ARL®)

“Preservation is a fundamental role and responsibility of the research library,” according to a new statement from the Association of Research Libraries (ARL), “Research Libraries’ Enduring Responsibility for Preservation.”

With digital information forming a growing share of the cultural record—joining a variety of analog formats—a new level of attention needs to be focused on preservation strategies. Research libraries must continue to invest in local preservation activities while increasingly engaging in collaborative preservation activities as well.

Collectively ARL libraries hold more than 470 million print volumes. These works are complemented by many digital works and special collections. Preservation has long been an area of significant activity both for ARL and its member libraries. Recently the ARL Task Force on the Future of Preservation in Research Libraries convened a group of preservation experts and association leaders who issued a set of recommendations for ARL, associations sharing ARL’s preservation concerns, and ARL member libraries. The new statement expresses the emphasis the task force sees for research libraries and their preservation mission: “For the scholars and researchers we serve to have enduring access to scholarship in all formats, ARL members libraries must invest in maintaining strong local and cooperative preservation programs.”

The full statement, “Research Libraries’ Enduring Responsibility for Preservation,” is available at http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/preservation_responsibility_24july07.pdf.

The task force meeting and recommendations are described in a recent article by Tom Teper, “The Future of Preservation in ARL Libraries,” published in issue 251 of ARL: A Bimonthly Report, no. 251 (April 2007), http://www.arl.org/bm~doc/arlbr251preserv.pdf.