Transcript LLMC
Overview • LLMC (Law Library Microform Consortium) – Chartered in 1976 as nonprofit 501 (c ) 3 – Self-governing (Board and Advisory Council elected by member libraries) – 500+ universities, county libraries, law firms, et.al. – Including CRL Member Partnership • Mission: “Preserving legal and governance-related materials and making this valuable content accessible and searchable” – 1976-2002 converted 105,000 volumes into microform – 2002 launched LLMC-Digital digitizing over 105,000 volumes • Multiple-format Preservation – Original paper blocks of scanned books – archivally wrapped and preserved in ideal dark-archive – Silver Halide Masters – Digital Images Archive Details • LLMC’s Dark Side – Salt Mines in Kansas – Contracted with Underground Vaults & Storage • Wrapped in a 400 ft thick rock salt cocoon, located 650 ft below earth’s surface, accessible only by vertical freight elevator • “Fort Knox” security measures like biometric scans, video cameras, redundant authorizations, steel vault doors, blind passwords, anonymous storage, restricted personnel access, infrared monitors… – Guaranteed access to 10,000 cubic feet of storage • Equivalent of 200,000+ volumes – Expenses • Fixed costs $20,000/year • Variable costs – Ingest expense – Retrieval expense • Business Model – Integral to LLMC Mission – Part of our general operations budget (primarily subscription revenue) • Operation and Quality Controls – Shipment boxes standardized • 10x11.15 inch double walled box • Currently, 2327 boxes at salt mines – Location Control Reports Anecdote • Alabama Supreme Court Reports – General Rule: LLMC will only send “Satisfactory” volumes to the salt mines. • Definition - no missing pages and the volume condition indicates it could be scanned again. – Exception: in rare cases, this cannot be achieved. • Case in point - in the early years of the Alabama Supreme Court Reports, – paper was very thin and high in acid content; pages very brittle and in many cases, either missing or in pieces. – not just a case of a “bad batch of books”; requested fill-in volumes from over 6 different libraries and their books were all in the same condition. – Solution: in order to preserve the information, LLMC – • used pages from the different libraries books (from same editions) to fill in missing pages • taped (using Archival Tape – will not discolor or damage the paper) to repair as much of the book as possible • obtained as clean of a scan as possible in order to provide customers with the digital content. • then, since we probably will not be able to receive a “Satisfactory” level of book. Sent archivally wrapped paper blocks to the salt mines. Pictures Step-and-repeat Scanning Archival Wrap Ship to Salt Mines Quality Control by Page Ready for Salt Mines