Library of Congress Personal Archiving Day on April 30

Many comic collectors have their own archive of course...

April 7, 2011

Public contact: William Lefurgy (202) 707-8618, wlef@loc.gov

Pass It On:  Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress on April 30

Personal treasures should be safeguarded so that future generations can share in the collective memories of loved ones. Advice on how to preserve and protect precious digital and traditional photos, documents, recordings and more will be presented on Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress.

Pass it On: Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress will be  held on Saturday, April 30, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in LJ 119, first floor of the Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington D.C. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets or reservations are needed.

Library staff will be on hand to talk directly with individuals about how to manage and preserve their collections. There will also be videos and printed information available. For security reasons, attendees are asked not to bring collection materials to the event. No appraisals will be provided. For information about visiting the Library go to www.loc.gov/visit/.

Pass it On: Personal Archiving Day at the Library of Congress celebrates Preservation Week (April 24-30), www.ala.org/preservationweek/. This joint initiative of the Library, the American Library Association, the Institute for Museum and Library Services and other partner organizations highlights libraries and other collecting institutions as excellent sources of preservation information. The Library's Personal Archiving Day is co-sponsored by the Library's Office of Strategic Initiatives and Library Services.

 "It is a great pleasure for us to be able to help families preserve their photograph collections," said Laura Campbell, associate librarian for Strategic Initiatives. "Digital technology in particular provides new challenges and opportunities to keeping  photographs accessible over time and across generations."

Deanna Marcum, associate librarian for Library Services, said "Many of the collections currently held by the Library of Congress came originally from personal collectors. It is in the best interest of the Library to help families preserve memorabilia that help trace the history of our communities and nation."

To learn more about the event and to sign up for free digital preservation updates, visit www.digitalpreservation.gov.  

Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world, with nearly 145 million items in various languages, disciplines and formats. The Library serves the U.S. Congress and the nation both on-site, in its reading rooms on Capitol Hill, and through its award-winning website at www.loc.gov. Many of the Library's rich resources and treasures may also be accessed via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

The Office of Strategic Initiatives, National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program is pursuing a national strategy to collect, preserve and make available significant digital content, especially information that is created in digital form only, for current and future generations.

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PR 11-077
04/07/10
ISSN 0731-3527