The following titles originally were produced for sale in print format. We are pleased to make them available electronically without charge. Current reports are freely available online. Proceedings from more recent conferences can be read online or printed from our past events page.
Book
Moving Theory into Practice
2000; 189 pp. ISBN: 0-9700225-0-6. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 40.5MB)
Winner of the Society of American Archivists' 2001 Waldo Leland Gifford Award
Softbound, illustrated guide and reference work by Anne R. Kenney and Oya Y. Rieger with contributions by others; published by RLG.
This book, which includes the contributions of more than 50 experts, is directed to libraries and archives that choose to retrospectively convert cultural resources to digital image form. Integrating cultural objectives with practical digital applications, it offers vital assistance in a complex arena. From decision-making, to sound practices, to turning projects into sustainable digital programs, this publication provides a wealth of balanced information and counsel.
Reports
Cataloging Guidelines for Creating Chinese Rare Book Records in Machine-Readable Form
2000, 80 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 7.6MB)
Guide to creating bibliographic records for Chinese rare book holdings to share in union catalogs, regardless of the library system used. Bilingual in Chinese and English, with examples from records created using RLIN®. Under the editorial direction of Sören Edgren at Princeton, the Guidelines grew out of a project to create an international union catalog of Chinese rare books in the RLG Union Catalog.
Preserving Digital Information
1996, 71 pp. (Typescript version of published text.) Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 191K)
This seminal report of the Task Force on Archiving of Digital Information was commissioned by the Commission on Preservation and Access and the Research Libraries Group. It provides an analysis of the digital landscape, focusing on features, including stakeholder interests, that affect the integrity of digital information objects and which determine the ability of digital archives to preserve such objects over the long term; introduces the principle that responsibility for archiving rests initially with the creator or owner of the information and that digital archives may invoke a fail-safe mechanism to protect culturally valuable information; explores in detail the roles and responsibilities associated with the critical functions of managing the operating environment of digital archives, strategies for migration of digital information, and costs and financial matters; and concludes with a set of recommendations for action.
AMIS: Archives and Museum Information Service Demonstration
1994, 35 min. Find in a library
A VHS videotape documenting the design and intended functionality of RLG's AMIS project at the point it was ended for lack of necessary development funding. Illustrates key aspects of a PC-based system linked to RLIN® that would enable archives and museums to provide staff and patrons with essential collections information; store and retrieve text, sound, and still and moving images; and manage daily operations, from accessioning and cataloging to exhibit planning, public events, and donor relations.
Preferred Library Futures II: Charting the Paths
1993, 27 pp. Download (.pdf: 1.7MB)
Report on an invitational workshop for an array of stake holders in the university campus information environment of the future, held to explore options and potential projects for creating the desired environment. This event built on RLG's earlier Preferred Futures for Libraries sessions. Includes an afterword by RLG president James Michalko.
Preferred Futures for Libraries
1991, 19 pp. (Photocopy of original publication.) Download (.pdf: 3.1MB)
Report on workshops held on six university campuses early in 1991 that explored with small groups of library directors and chief academic officers from 41 campuses their vision for the future shape of libraries and information resources at their institutions. Sponsored by RLG and funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Written by Richard M. Dougherty and Carol Hughes.
Government Records in the RLIN® Database: An Introduction and Guide
1990, 17 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 4.1MB)
Report on a resource first made available in the RLG Union Catalog in the late 1980s and greatly enhanced since: descriptions of the records of government agencies—and how those descriptions can be used for research.
"Information Needs" series
Information Needs in the Sciences: An Assessment
1991, 79pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 62.8MB)
Assessment of information needs in eight science disciplines; produced under the umbrella of RLG's 1985-1991 Program for Research Information Management (PRIMA), this survey helped lay the groundwork for such RLG services as Citation Resources (CitaDel®) and Eureka®. Prepared by Constance C. Gould and Karla Pearce.
Information Needs in the Social Sciences: An Assessment
1989, 56 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 12.6MB)
Assessment of information needs in five social science disciplines; produced under the umbrella of RLG's 1985-1991 Program for Research Information Management (PRIMA), this survey helped lay the groundwork for such RLG services as Citation Resources (CitaDel®) and Eureka®. Prepared by Constance C. Gould and Mark Handler.
Information Needs in the Humanities: An Assessment
1988, 62 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 13.0MB)
Assessment of information needs in eight humanities disciplines; produced under the umbrella of RLG's 1985-1991 Program for Research Information Management (PRIMA), this survey helped lay the groundwork for such RLG services as Citation Resources (CitaDel®) and Eureka®. Prepared by Constance C. Gould.
Microfilming Resources
RLG Preservation Microfilming Handbook
1992, 216 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 30.1MB)
Guide intended for use by library preservation administrators and filming service bureau staff. Contains the RLG guidelines for monographs and serials (prefilming, targeting, and filming technical requirements). Appendices address implementation issues faced by libraries mounting filming projects—from a sample request for proposals, to operational impact, to identifying defects in camera negatives. A supplement was produced in 2003 to provide guidelines for microfilming to support digitization (below).
RLG Archives Microfilming Manual
1994, 208 pp. (Photocopy of original publication.) Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 20.5MB)
This manual addresses the needs of archivists and librarians managing projects and programs to microfilm archives and manuscripts. Written by members of the RLG Archives Preservation Microfilming Project, it covers issues from outsourcing of filming services to future digitization of microfilm produced today. A supplement was produced in 2003 to provide guidelines for microfilming to support digitization (below).
Manual do RLG para Microfilmagem de Arquivos (publication Nr. 53)
2001, 211 pp.
The RLG Archives Microfilming Manual translated into Portuguese by the Projeto Cooperativo Conservação Preventiva em Bibliotecas e Arquivos is available at no charge (.pdf: 2.28MB) thanks to CPBA and ARQ-SP, the Associação de Arquivistas de São Paulo.
RLG Guidelines for Microfilming to Support Digitization
2003, 20 pp. Download (.pdf: 1.0MB)
Supplement to RLG Archives Microfilming Manual and RLG Preservation Microfilming Handbook intended for use with the earlier publications when the microfilm being produced is highly likely to be digitized.
RLG Symposium Proceedings
Selecting Library and Archive Collections for Digital Reformatting
1996, 172 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 28.6MB)
Proceedings from an RLG symposium held November 5-6, 1995, in Washington, DC. The primary purpose of this event was to expose participants to the evolving environment in which selection decisions are being made and to provide them with the basic facts and selection strategies for making good decisions at their own institutions. As in previous symposiums, the concluding session focused on areas for RLG leadership and support.
Scholarship in the New Information Environment
1996, 76 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 13.1MB)
Proceedings from an RLG symposium held May 2-3, 1995, at Harvard University. This 20th-anniversary event provided a forum to examine economic and other issues raised by the new electronic information environment, and to consider the potential for collaboration in designing and supporting this new information environment for research and higher education.
RLG Digital Image Access Project
1995, 104 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 19.6MB)
Proceedings from an RLG symposium held March 31 and April 1, 1995, in Palo Alto, to wrap up two pioneering digital imaging projects launched in 1993 by RLG with members and with Stokes Imaging Services of Austin, Texas. This event convened project participants and experts in the field for reports on various aspects of the projects and discussion of questions the projects generated.
Digital Imaging Technology for Preservation
1994, 152 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 25.7MB)
Proceedings from an RLG symposium held March 17-18, 1994, at Cornell University. This event was devoted to developing a common understanding about the uses of digital-image technology in preserving research resources.
Electronic Access to Information: A New Service Paradigm
1994, 83 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 17.1MB)
Proceedings from an RLG symposium held July 23-24, 1993, in Palo Alto, California. This event focused on (1) exploring opportunities for cooperative action to take advantage of technology and improve electronic access to information; and (2) developing strategies for making the most effective use of both available technologies and electronic information itself in support of the research and teaching missions of RLG member institutions.
Photograph Preservation and the Research Library
1991, 56 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 9.1MB)
Publication from an RLG symposium held at Stanford University in fall 1990. Contains a thoughtful introduction and five illustrated papers focused on the problems that deteriorating photographic collections pose to their repositories. The conclusion summarizes suggested cooperative actions toward addressing the shared challenge.
Computer Files and the Research Library
1990, 59 pp. Download from the OCLC Corporate Library Collection (.pdf: 10.1MB)
Publication from an RLG symposium held at Stanford University in fall 1989. Contains four papers exploring the many problems posed to research libraries in providing patrons access to machine-readable data in and outside of library collections; conclusion suggests possibilities for cooperative action.