BETHLEHEM, Pa., December 1, 2015. After 20 successful years, Backstage Library Works (www.bslw.com) and Center for Research Libraries (CRL) are continuing to work together to preserve historically important documentation and newspapers from Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Latin America and Slavic East Europe. This milestone is the result of Backstage's and CRL's commitment to ensure the long-term accessibility of historically important materials. When stored properly, preservation microfilm has a shelf life of 500 years and can easily be converted into digital files for access by future generations, regardless of changes in technology.
The current contract calls for preservation microfilming of approximately 297 newspaper reels consisting of 194,000 frames and 365,000 newspaper pages. Backstage services can include materials preparation, filming in strict adherence to ANSI and RLG guidelines, quality assurance, optional duplication and processing, duplicate reels review, optional polysulfide treatment, and optional microfilm reel storage. Backstage delivers their work with an exclusive lifetime guarantee.
James Simon, vice president for collections and services at CRL, states:
"We're very pleased to cross the 20-year threshold with Backstage Library Works. As a globally-oriented consortium dedicated to the preservation of unique documentation and evidence, CRL is pleased that Backstage has maintained its own commitment to ensuring long-term integrity of research resources through preservation."