This week is Preservation Week and the Library of Congress, and other libraries across the country, are hosting free webcasts and offering tips and tutorials.

In 2005 the first comprehensive national survey of the condition and preservation needs of the nation’s collections reported that archives, libraries, museums, and other cultural heritage institutions in the U.S. hold more than 4.8 billion items.

A treasure trove of uncounted additional items is held by individuals, families, and communities. These collections include letters, diaries, manuscripts, film, audio recordings, photographs, prints and drawings, and objects such as maps, textiles, paintings, sculptures, and decorative arts.

The volume of digital collections are growing fast.  These items are fragile, and their formats quickly become obsolescent, if not obsolete.

Check out Preserving Your Personal Memories for best practices, methods, and storage media tips, and American Library Association’s @ your library for more like:

Thursday, April 26, 2 pm Eastern, Webinar: “Preserving Personal Digital Photographs” From the Association of Library Collections and Technical Services (ALCTS) Visit the ALCTS website for more information. See their list of other free webinars at the same link, includes Book repair basics, Disaster response, and Mold prevention.

Thursday, April 26, at 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Webinar: “Preserving Your Personal Digital Photographs” From the Library of Congress. The National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program will present information about learning to care for digital photos. Hosted by the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services. Free; registration required .

– Melissa Watterworth Batt, Curator of Literary, Natural History and Rare Books Collections