Tag Archives: preservation

Library of Congress cooks CDs in quest to save them | CNET

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CDs may not be the first thing to come to mind when you think of the Library of Congress, but it houses more than 500,000. The extensive collection includes everything from music to maps and labs where researchers are destroying CDs to learn how to preserve them, CBS News Jim Axelrod reports.

In 1982, Billy Joels album “52nd Street” was the first commercial compact disc to be released. Since then, hundreds of billions of CDs have been sold worldwide. Once the latest music technology, the CD is now a collectors item, replaced by digital downloads. But those who built up music libraries in the 80s and 90s may wonder how long will those discs work? Fenella France, chief of preservation research and testing at the Library of Congress, is hoping to figure that out.

READ MORE: Library of Congress cooks CDs in quest to save them | CNET

Museums And Heritage Sites In Syria Are Under Siege | Co.Design

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Museums And Heritage Sites In Syria Are Under Siege | Co.Design | business + design

The civil war devastating Syria and spilling into Iraq has claimed yet another casualty: museums and cultural heritage sites. As evidence of destruction mounts, the international community is moving to action…

…To minimize the damage, U.S. museums are partnering with the Syrian Interim Government’s Heritage Task Force to train local curators and civilians in emergency packing and other practices designed to safeguard cultural treasures.

READ MORE: Museums And Heritage Sites In Syria Are Under Siege | Co.Design | business + design.

These scorpions are probably hiding in your bookcase | SPLOID

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If you have old vintage books, you may have some book scorpions in your bookcase. Actually, you really should want to have them, even if they look scary and gross. Book scorpions protect your old books—they love to munch on the book lice that eat the glue which holds old books together.

A book scorpion or pseudoscorpion is not a true scorpion, hence its name. Theyre often mistaken for bedbugs, in fact, causing many people to kill them, which is obviously a big mistake for your collection of vintage encyclopedias. A book scorpion is also very tiny—too tiny to hurt you, so dont worry about being pinched when you pull out your original signed copy of The Metamorphosis.

READ MORE: These scorpions are probably hiding in your bookcase | SPLOID