Conservation | Mass Deacidification | Preservation Reformatting | Research and Testing
The mission of the Preservation Directorate at the Library of Congress is to ensure long-term, uninterrupted access to the intellectual content of the collections in original or reformatted form. The Preservation Directorate fulfills this mission directly through the provision of conservation, binding, mass deacidification, reformatting, materials testing, and staff and user education; and indirectly through the coordination and oversight of all Library-wide activities relating to the preservation and physical protection of the collections.
- Organization Chart [PDF: 21 KB / 1 p.]
The work of the Preservation Directorate is carried out by four divisions:
Binding & Collections Care and Mass Deacidification
The Binding & Collections Care Division is responsible for the care of the Library's general collections through binding preparation and contract management; collections conservation and housing; in-house binding such as pamphlet binding.
- Mass Deacidification
The Library's Mass Deacidification Program prolongs the useful life of post-mid-19th century acidic papers and hard-covered books by neutralizing destructive acids in the paper through bulk treatment. The Library treats about 250,000 books and 1,000,000 loose sheets annually.
The Conservation Division is responsible for the Library's special collections, through activities including conservation assessment, treatment, housing, and research; exhibition and digitization preparation; environmental monitoring; collections emergency response.
The Preservation Reformatting Division is responsible for the Library's program to provide continued access to the information in at-risk materials (e.g., brittle newspapers) by copying to alternative formats such as microfilm, paper facsimile, or digital file.
Preservation Research and Testing
The Preservation Research and Testing Division is responsible for scientific undertakings to support and advance the Library’s preservation program, including materials research; material analysis; quality assurance for preservation supplies and materials; maintenance of the Library's low-oxygen exhibition cases.