ABSTRACT
The preservation of information is an idea whose time has come. In the not too distant past preservation and conservation (PAC), both related activities, were of minor, if not insignificant, relevance in library and information services (LISs). If considered at all, they were deemed to be the province of those who had the care of rare books and manuscripts. But over the past fifteen years the view of PAC has expanded to become an integral part of the much wider area of collection management and a vital element in the provision of access to information. If the particular medium which records the information has been allowed to decay and disappear, then access to it is impossible. This increased perception of the essential requirement of preservation is perhaps related to the ‘green revolution’ generally. Global warming, pollution, the burning of fossil fuels, the world environment summits at Rio in 1992 and Kyoto in 1997 - and numerous other events - have all contributed to the growing awareness of the importance of preserving and conserving the physical environment; some of this concern has percolated into the thinking of library and information managers (LIMs) who are concerned with access to information and its provision to their users.
