Volume 16, Number 3
Jun 1992

Groups for Potential Liaison, Outreach or Alliance

• PEN (Poets, Essayists and Novelists) is a worldwide organization of professional writers. Preservation or conservation groups looking for new or better ways to work for permanent paper may find valuable allies through the regional centers of PEN. The American regional group was one of two writers' organizations that sponsored the "Declaration of Book Preservation," March 7, 1989, at the New York Public Library, when both publishers and authors stated their intention to use nothing but acid-free paper, when it was available, for first-time printings of books. Only the writers (especially Barbara Goldsmith) could have moved the publishers to make such a commitment. Perhaps they can be equally effective in other countries, with conservators or other technically sophisticated people to furnish facts and build a believable case for them. Some presidents of regional groups are given below. Contacts in other countries can be furnished by the PEN American Center, 568 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

  Australia:

  Ms. Judith Rodrigues, Melbourne P.E.N. Centre, P.0. Box 143, Clifton Hiss, Victoria 3068

  Sister Veronica Brady, Perth P.E.N. Centre, Post Office Box 1131, Subiaco 6008, Fax 61 9 380 1030

  Mrs. Stella Wilkes, Sydney P.E.N. Centre, P.O. Box 153, Woollahra, N.S.W. 2025

  Hungary

  Mr. Istvan Vas (Acting President is Mr. Miklos Hubay), Hungarian P.E.N. Centre, Vorosmarty ter 1, Budapest H-1051

  Mexico

  Sr. Eduardo Lizalde, P.E.N. Club de Mexico, Apdo. 24579, Mexico 06700, D.F.

  Mr. Richard Moody, San Miguel P.E.N. Centre, Jesus 27 Apartado 368 San Miguel de Allende, Gto, Mexico 37700

  Norway

  Mr. Anton Fredrik Andresen, Den norske P.E.N.klubben, Urtegatan 50, 0187 Oslo 1, Fax 2 335985

  Venezuela

  Dr. Jose Ramon Medina, Venezuelan P.E.N. Centre, Apartado de Correos #14.413, Caracas 1010A

• The International Association of Museum Facility Administrators (IAMFA), an association that seeks to encourage communication among museum professionals, was founded in early 1990 by two facilities managers who felt that there was a need for a professional group like the Association of Physical Plant Administrators (APPA) but for people who worked in cultural institutions. Their i992 annual meeting was held March 19-20 at the National Gallery of Art. There are committees on conservation, architecture and total quality management; NIC board vice-chairman Ross Merrill has been asked to participate on the conservation committee. For information write LAMFA, PO Box 1505, Washington, DC 20013-1505, or call Gregg Reynolds at the National Gallery of Art, 202/842-6158. Membership fees are $50 a year for associate members, $150 for regular members; both must work full-time for facilities management. The quarterly newsletter is called "Uptime."
• The Medieval Academy established a Committee on Library Preservation a year or two ago, which has prepared a Preservation Resource Packet that gives information on how to undertake a preservation microfilming project. The idea is not to film medieval documents, but to make sure that the most important literature about medieval topics is preserved. Much of it is on brittle paper. The chair of the Committee is Susanne Roberts, Yale University Library, PO Box 1603A Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520-0820. The Academy's newsletter is called Medieval Academy News, and #112 was February 1992.
• NAGARA recently published its workplan (list of goals) for 1992. The fourth one was to promote the improved preservation of government records, and this had three subgoals:

  A. Continue representation on Advisory Council to Commission on Preservation and Access.

  B. Formulate a strategic plan for addressing the preservation needs of government records.

  C. Work with allied organizations in addressing preservation of government records.

• The newly organized Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) has set up a preservation committee, with Alan Lewis of the National Archives serving as temporary chair. Its members include Sarah Richards of the National Library of Medicine and eight other people from private companies and government agencies.