As the preservation community has developed in the past fifty years, many histories of preservation work and initiatives have been written. But broader questions about resource survivability – why have some printed books from past generations survived and others not? – are only now beginning to be asked. Through its affiliates Portico and JSTOR, Ithaka has developed a significant interest in these broader questions about resource survivability. This research study is considering related issues from an historical perspective, focusing on book survivability in the United States during the past 150 years. It is believed that lessons learned from this major study will hold interest for a number of communities, including those considering strategies for print preservation in an environment of mass digitization as well as those considering strategies for the long-term sustainability of digital resources.

Presentations:

• Roger C. Schonfeld, “The Role of Information-Sharing in Book Survivability in the United States, 1890-1940,” Society for the History of Technology, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 12-15, 2006.
• Roger C. Schonfeld, “Commodity Collections: The Role of American Academic Libraries in the Maintenance of Knowledge, 1876-1900,” Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing, Halifax, Nova Scotia, July 14, 2005.