Purpose and Activities
The need for national entities like the Centre has been documented in surveys conducted by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Section on Preservation & Conservation and by the Ligue Internationale des Bibliothèques Européennes de Recherches. Other than the United Kingdom, at least seven other countries have set up a similar entity, including Canada and New Zealand.
The Preservation Advisory Centre's mission is expressed in hortatory goals, but its work is focused on practical results. It aims to create strategic policy framework for preserving current library collections, and addressing issues arising as congruent digital collections evolve:
- To assist cultural heritage agencies and organizations develop strategies for the preservation of cultural heritage assets in museums, libraries and archives, including the further development of the "Preservation Assessment Survey" (PAS) and training in the use of the PAS tools
- To provide print and web-based information services for individuals and organizations, especially for collections throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.
- To provide training in preservation management for individuals and organizations including relevant training in the following areas: introduction to preservation management; disaster management; environmental control and monitoring.
The Centre maintains a PAS database and publishes an annual digest and report.
Read more about this topic: National Preservation Office
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