Unit 6 Media Resources for Libraries and Their Preservation
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UNIT 6 MEDIA RESOURCES FOR LIBRARIES AND THEIR PRESERVATION Structure 6.0 Objectives 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Types of Media Resources 6.3 Paper (Print) 6.3.1 Care, Handling and Storage 6.4 Film 6.4.1 Filmstrips 6.4.2 Slides 6.4.3 Cinefilm 6.4.4 Microforms 6.4.5 Care, Handling and Storage 6.5 Magnetic 6.5.1 Audio Tape 6.5.2 Video Tape 6.5.3 Storage Disks 6.5.4 Care, Handling and Storage 6.6 Plastic 6.6.1 Transparent Plastics 6.6.2 Vinyl Discs 6.6.3 Optical Storage Systems 6.6.4 Care, Handling and Storage 6.7 Summary 6.8 Answers to Self Check Exercises 6.9 Keywords 6.10 References and Further Reading 6.0 OBJECTIVES After going through this Unit, you will be able to: • familiarise yourself with the various media resources available in libraries; • categorise the media resources according to their forms; • understand the different formats of non – book materials and their capacity in terms of memory; and • know the preservation methods of various types of media resources. 6.1 INTRODUCTION It is generally agreed that the functions of library are collection, preservation, 139 Media Resources organisation and use of documents. Now-a-days libraries, apart from the traditional documents like books, periodicals, pamphlets, charts and folders etc., have varieties of non – book materials (e.g. filmstrips, microforms, CDs, DVDs, etc.) made of film, magnetic and optical which can store large amount of information. In the modern information society, libraries and information centres play a pivotal role in providing information to the users in different formats. It is therefore, essential for Librarians and Information Providers to be conversant with the latest developments of library automation, digitisation, electronic resources, internet etc. for the quick dissemination of information and services to the users. In this Unit, we shall discuss about the media resources for libraries, their types and their preservation aspects. 6.2 TYPES OF MEDIA RESOURCES The media resources for libraries can be categorised into four types according to their forms. They are paper, film, magnetic, and plastic. Shown below are the different types of media resources available in libraries. Media Resources Paper (Print) Film Magnetic Plastic Books Filmstrips Sound Tape Transparencies Periodicals Slides Video Tape Vinyl Discs Dictionaries Cinefilm Storage Discs Optical Storage Directories Systems Encyclopaedias Folders Pamphlets Brochures, etc. We shall discuss one by one, in detail, about their formats, physical size, capacity in terms of memory etc. in the forthcoming sections. Self Check Exercise 1) What are the major categories of media resources? Note: i) Write your answer in the space given below. ii) Check your answer with the answers given at the end of this Unit. ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... 140 Media Resources for 6.3 PAPER (PRINT) Libraries and Their Preservation Though this Unit is basically on non-print media, you need to be familiarised with the printed documents available in traditional libraries and their preservation aspects as well. Paper is still one of the predominant medium for storing and transmitting information the world over. Paper based collections available in traditional libraries include books, periodicals, dictionaries, encyclopedias, glossaries, bibliographies, yearbooks, handbooks, directories, biographies, gazetteers, atlases, maps, brochures, folders, pamphlets, etc. 6.3.1 Care, Handling and Storage The following points can be considered for the care and maintenance of the paper collections: • Poor quality paper deteriorates rapidly in sunlight. It can be avoided keeping out of the light. • Paper surfaces and edges damage easily with handling. Various protective devices such as lamination, edge binding and the like can reduce these problems. • Printed sheets which are produced by spirit duplication generally fade in light. Copies, which are stored, should be kept out of the direct light to minimise these problems. • Dirt and grease from fingers can damage paper collections. It can be cleaned with an ordinary eraser. Self Check Exercise 2) List out any five kinds of print materials/documents available in traditional libraries. Note: i) Write your answer in the space given below. ii) Check your answer with the answers given at the end of this Unit. ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... ......................................................................................................................................... 6.4 FILM Films are available in different formats viz. filmstrips, slides, cinefilms and microforms. Let us discuss in detail, their physical formats, size, memory etc. 6.4.1 Filmstrips Filmstrips are made up of a series of still pictures placed in sequential order on 141 35 mm filmstrips, which are available in two different formats. The formats Media Resources are single or half frame, and double or full frame. The still pictures, which are stored in filmstrips, can be viewed only using projector or viewing equipment. The visuals of single frame filmstrip are photographed in a vertical plane (see Fig. 6.1) and that the ratio of picture or frame height to width is approximately 3 to 4, whereas the double frame filmstrips are photographed on a horisontal plane, and the height width ratio is 2 to 3. The following figure shows the differences between single and double frame filmstrips. Fig. 6.1: Filmstrips: Single Frame (a) and Double Frame (b) (Source: Cabeceiras, 1982) 6.4.2 Slides Slides are small units of transparent material containing an image mounted on a rigid format and designed for use in a slide viewer or projector. A mount made of cardboard or plastic is used to hold the film. Sometimes glass is used to cover and protect the film within the mount. Slides are something different from filmstrips. They are individually mounted, and still visuals are stored on separate pieces of transparent film, whereas filmstrips can contain a group of still pictures on a continuous piece of transparent film. Various sizes of the slides and films that can be contained in the slides are listed in Table 6.1. Table 6.1: Sizes of slides and the films for slides Sl. Size No. in inches 1. 2 x 2 2. 2 ¼ x 2 ¼ 3. 3 ¼ x 4 Out of these three sizes mentioned above, 2 x 2 inch size is the most prevalent size used in libraries. This mount or frame can contain 35 mm half frame film, 35 mm full frame film or 127 size film. These three sizes of films have the 142 same size mount and can be viewed using the same type of projection equipment. Moreover, the 2 ¼ x 2 ¼ inch frame and 3 ¼ x 4 frame can contain Media Resources for 110 film size and 120 film size respectively. Fig. 6.2 illustrates the various Libraries and Their sizes of slides. Preservation Fig. 6.2: Various sizes of slides (Source: Cabeceiras, 1982) 6.4.3 Cinefilm This is the most popular medium to distribute films for public. Cinefilm means as, “a sequence of images arranged vertically, which gives the appearance of movement when projected on to a screen at the right speed”. Various formats of cinefilm are discussed below. • 35 mm with sound track: This format is generally used in public cinemas. There is also a double sized frame that means 70 mm size, which is used for major productions. 16 mm with sound track: This is the format, which is used for distributing films to small clubs, schools and businesses. The film can be projected at 24 frames per second, a reel of 40 ft. (i.e.120m) lasting about 11 minutes (36 ft. or 11m per minute). Fig. 6.3: 35 mm and 16 mm films with sound track 143 Media Resources The sound track is usually optical, being a white stripe down the side as shown in Fig. 6.3. In some films the white stripe is replaced by a brown stripe which is the same as a thin piece of sound tape. This carries a magnetic sound track with all the properties of magnetic tape, and it can usually be erased. Optical sound tracks cannot be altered in this way. • 16 mm silent: This film has sprocket holes on both sides without white stripe down as in 16 mm film to produce sound. The film should be projected at 18 frames per second, a reel of 400 ft (120m) lasting about 16 minutes (i.e. 24 ft. or 7m per minute). 8 mm standard and 8 mm super film: Earlier, standard 8mm film was the only