Background and Charge:

George A. Smathers Libraries has had a brittle book work plan for several years but variable commitment in staff time and resources has stalled the comprehensive review of library collections and limited the physical processing of the current backlog of materials. The Brittle Books Task Force will evaluate brittle books procedures and workflow in the libraries and develop a cooperative program that promotes preservation strategies. These strategies will address current and retrospective brittle book processing needs, budget and staffing issues, and assess reformat technology options. An analysis of these issues should prompt the following actions:

• Review the current brittle book workflow and make recommendations for optimum processing; include staffing needs and cost analysis

• Explore reformatting options that will promote access and browsing of the research materials

• Establish Library copyright guidelines for brittle book reformatting that incorporate proposed procedures from the Library of Congress Report of the Section 108 Study Group (due in November 2007)

• Develop plan for reviewing the brittle book backlog and make recommendations for priority processing

• Develop plan for ongoing brittle book identification within the collection

• Investigate/compare photocopying and binding outsourcing, print on demand services, and digitization programs

• Coordinate processing workflow with Preservation, Cataloging & Metadata, Collection Management and Digital Library Center

• Document procedures and guidelines on the Library Web