| NL Home |
| NL Home |
We would like to thank Gwynneth Evans, Director General, National and International Programmes, National Library of Canada and Ralph Manning, Heritage Officer, National Library of Canada for their generous support and assistance.
We would also like to acknowledge Syd Jones, Director, Public Services and Technical Support, Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library (MTRL) and Ruth Patrick, University Librarian, University of British Columbia Library for their encouragement and support throughout this project.
Special appreciation goes to the following individuals for their expert help, advice and patience: Norman Amor, Preservation Microfilming Librarian, University of British Columbia Library; Ann Douglas and Karen Lenk, Conservators, Preservation Services, MTRL; Carol Rhodes, Librarian, Main Reference Center, MTRL; and Ross Woolley, Information Specialist, Information Centre, Canadian Standards Association. Our thanks also go to Josiane Desilets, Manager, Customer Services, Standards Council of Canada for her cooperation.
The authors welcome suggestions and comments for future updates to this bibliography.
Index
On October 31st and November 1st, 1994, a National Preservation Meeting was convened in Ottawa by the National Library of Canada. At that meeting numerous issues were raised by participants from across the country.
Many of these concerns, while crucial to the cause of preservation, seemed impossible to tackle at the time given the resources available. But one subject, that of standards, was recognized as one where immediate and practical action was both required and feasible.
The Oxford Dictionary defines a standard as "a thing or quality or specification by which something may be tested or measured." The use of standards ensures that procedures and products will meet certain requirements, and that these procedures and products will remain consistent.
If we are to be fully confident about our preservation efforts, then we need to know that our practices, procedures and purchases conform to established standards. While adherence to some standards is mandatory, electrical standards for example, in other cases compliance is voluntary. This puts the onus on the practitioner or consumer to be aware of, and to insist on conformance with all standards governing an activity or product.
Microfilm is a good example of a preservation medium which, if it adheres to the standards established for the production of extended-term microfilm, and if it is stored in accordance with the standards for extended-term microfilm can, with confidence, be expected to last for hundreds of years, perhaps more than one thousand years. If, however, the film itself, or its storage, do not meet the standards then the life of the film may be very short indeed.
As a first step to promoting awareness of standards relating to preservation, it was agreed at the Ottawa meeting that a bibliography needed to be compiled in order to provide as far as possible "one stop shopping" and a snapshot of where standards have already been developed, as well as where they need to be written. We agreed (rashly) to do this.
We have tried to make this bibliography current and accurate, as well as comprehensive in areas of critical concern. Other areas are less comprehensive, and due to the size of this compilation effort there remain some gaps. Any omissions and errors are ours alone. Note, however, that standards are continuously evolving. At the least, every standard is reviewed at five year intervals. It is essential to consult the latest edition. Dates given in this bibliography are for the most recent version of each standard at the time of compilation.
Through our awareness, promotion and adoption of existing standards and through our efforts to create new standards to support and govern our work, we can advance our preservation efforts in a very real and positive way.
The 1992 publication A National Strategy for Preservation in Canadian Libraries (The Advisory Committee on a Strategy for Preservation in Canada in Libraries, National Library of Canada, p.14) stated that it is essential that standards in the form of minimum technical specifications, determined by an authoritative source informed as to operating guidelines for the library community, be made available. Permanent paper, conservation treatment, library binding, storage of books and documents and microfilming are the areas where standards are most needed...Standards and their application are essential in maintaining a professional approach to preservation.
The same report (p.21) recommended that quality and technical standards be established and/or adopted for guidance on all preservation and linked activities; adopted standards should be actively promoted; areas of concern include stable alkaline paper, binding, treatment, storage, storage facilities and microfilming.
Thus the goal of this bibliography is to provide information to the library community and support for the application and development of standards relating to preservation. It is intended for use by anyone working in the field of library preservation.
Included are relevant international standards issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and national standards issued by the accredited Canadian and American standards development organizations. Several standards from Great Britain have been provided in areas where no international, American or Canadian standards exist.
In addition to international standards and national standards of Canada and the United States, we have included selected industry standards and test methods as well as publications in areas of activity where no formal standard exists, i.e., guidelines, specifications, codes of practice, publications considered to describe best practice, and current issue-oriented articles where discussion is ongoing.
The bibliography is divided into sections covering preservation management and support activities, as well as various media. Within each section there are sub-sections and we have attempted to use consistent numbering where the reader will find the same kind of information about each topic, e.g., 1.2, 2.2, 3.2 and 4.2 all cover Documentation and Terminology - for preservation and access section, paper, film and electronic media respectively.
Each section and sub-section is divided into two parts: "Standards" and "References". "Standards" (international and national) are listed in alphabetical order by issuing standards organization and standard number. Scope statements are included, and have been edited where necessary. "References" are listed in alphabetical order by issuing organization and number, or in alphabetical order by author, with either scope statement (edited as necessary) or annotation where necessary.
It is important to remember that standards are regularly reviewed and considered for reaffirmation, revision or withdrawal. Most standards documents include a statement to this effect. Each revision supersedes the previous edition, making it imperative that the user ensure that any standard used is the latest version.
Proper use (application, suitability, safety, etc.) of any standard is, of course, the responsibility of the user and standards routinely include disclaimers to this effect.
We, too, leave the responsibility of appropriate use of this bibliography to the reader. As those responsible for preservation, we must ensure that all our efforts are based on an adherence to relevant standards.
Standards have been with us for a very long time. Albert Batik in his informative book A Guide to Standards (Parker, Colorado: 1989) notes that the code of Hammurabi, which was developed over four thousand years ago, includes instructions for the manufacture of a brick, with specifications for "the clay, straw and water content" (p.3). The Bible also contains standards. God's instructions to Noah for the building of the ark is one example.
Batik traces the development of standards down through the ages to the present day. Measures may have been based on strange concepts like the length of a king's arm, but at least something existed which could be used from one jurisdiction to another. The use of standards petered out during the Dark Ages, but returned with the advent of the Renaissance and an increased interest in international trade. Today worldwide standardization is crucial in many fields.
Standards are developed to ensure uniformity or reproducibility of a product, process, or safeguard from one country or location to another. International trade in many products would be impossible without the use of standards. And in instances where something in one country is not standard in another, there can be annoying complications, such as the need to use special appliance adaptors.
Some important standards owe their existence to situations where the lack of standardization resulted in disasters. The National Fire Code in the United States came into being because of a fire in New York City in the early part of the 20th century. Many women working in a clothing factory died because of the lack of fire escapes, fire extinguishers and sprinklers. Because of past earthquakes, people are increasingly aware of the threat from seismic activity, and our building code in British Columbia reflects this.
Standards are developed in different ways throughout the world. They can be produced by government agencies, by trade associations, and by professional associations. Most countries have their own governmental standards organizations, like the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB), as well as non-governmental standards writing organizations like the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and the Canadian Information and Image Management Society (CIIMS). In most countries there is also a single standards body which represents the country internationally on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In Canada this body is the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). Although people from across the country may work on the Technical Committees of ISO on standards in every field, it is the SCC which those people represent at international meetings, not their individual organizations.
Standards are developed by a group of individuals working on a particular subject under the auspices of a government agency, a trade or professional association, or an international organization. Members of such a group may come from a variety of backgrounds - government, industry, academe, etc. Ideally they will represent manufacturers and users of the products and processes addressed by the standard. Together, using their varied expertise and experience, they work out the standard following procedures established by the standards writing agency for which the work is being done. Once members of the group have reached agreement on the text of a draft standard, it is circulated to a wider audience for comment. Circulation depends on the agency under which the group is working and upon the stage the draft has reached. In the case of ISO, the final draft (called a DIS or Draft International Standard) often takes numerous preliminary drafts and many months of discussion to achieve. When that point is reached, it is circulated to all member countries for a vote as to whether of not it should be published as an international
standard. At this pont the draft should have reached the stage where any comments are only editorial, not technical, but this is not always the case and Draft International Standards have been voted down on technical grounds. This is unfortunate and results in a delay in publication, because the draft has to be referred back to the group which prepared it. Once consensus has been achieved the standard is adopted and published. After publication, standards are reviewed on a regular basis, or as often as needed to keep them current.
In Canada, we often adopt ISO standards as national standards of Canada. Since Canadians participate in the work of ISO, Canadian needs are always considered in the development of ISO standards, which means that they are usually suitable for use in Canada as they are written. In some instances they need minor modifications to conform with requirements which are specific to Canada. Standards are, of course, also developed in Canada by a variety of standards writing organizations.
Anyone interested in the development of standards in his or her field can participate in this work. One way to begin is to join a professional association which takes part in standards writing activities. Standards writing bodies always welcome people who are willing to contribute their knowledge and experience to the critical process of standards development.
Copyright. The National Library of Canada.
(Revised: 1996-12-11).