Over the years, the student newspaper The Polytechnic has proved to be one of the most heavily-used collections in the Libraries' archives, and such consistent and heavy use has caused its condition to gradually deteriorate. In addition, acids in the paper are causing many issues of the publication to turn yellow and become brittle, and, as a result, the Institute Archives and Special Collections department of the Rensselaer Libraries is preparing "The Poly" for microfilming this summer, in hopes of preserving the information and usability of this unique resource.
"The Poly," which was first produced in 1869, started out as a technical journal, along with news articles aimed toward students and alumni. It ceased publication for several years, but was reinstated in 1885, and has been published continuously since that time. As time went on, and as other campus publications started up, "The Poly" gradually migrated toward its current format, offering a variety of articles, reviews, columns, editorials, advertisements, classifieds, calendars, comics, and numerous other features.
Microfilm reformatting is the most reliable means of preserving the content of fragile materials. In particular, archival microfilm must meet international standards for photographic quality and physical durability; under reasonable storage conditions, it is expected to last at least 500 years. And while many people would prefer to simply digitize archival collections, the current lack of standards for long-term preservation of digital media precludes that option at the present time.
The use of microfilm offers a number of other important benefits. In addition to the publication's preservation function, microfilm will improve access to the collection; currently, patrons can only use "The Poly" when the archives reading room is open, but the microfilm be available whenever the library is open. Microfilm is also available through interlibrary loan, so non-local users will also benefit from the use of this new medium. Lastly, microfilm is much easier to digitize than newsprint, and this in turn will enable the staff to make it available on-line, whenever that becomes feasible.
If you would like to peruse "The Poly," or any other archival collections, you are welcome to visit the Archives during their regular hours, Monday through Friday, 9:00am to noon and 1:00pm to 4:00pm. The archives are located on the third floor of the Folsom Library, and also on-line at the URL http://www.lib.rpi.edu/archives/.
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