Patricia Battin
Encyclopedia
Patricia Meyer Battin was one of the first librarians to combine the responsibilities of library administrator and technology director. Her focus shifted toward preservation
when she became the first president of the Commission on Preservation and Access. She later became a pioneer in the digital library
movement and began to work in the area of digital preservation
.
in publishing companies, and her 1988 testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives led to a collaborative effort between higher education and research and the federal government and to increased funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities
Brittle Books Program
.
from 1947–1951 and received a B.A. in English. The following year, she attended the University of Minnesota
to pursue American Studies. In 1964, Battin began her career in library services as an intern at the State University of New York at Binghamton. While continuing her work at Binghamton, she attended classes at Syracuse University, and in 1967, Battin earned an M.S. in Library Science
. With her library degree, Battin was promoted from Library Trainee to Assistant Librarian, and from 1967–1974, she continued to move through the ranks at SUNY-Binghamton, holding the titles Assistant Librarian for Cataloging and Assistant Director for Reader Services.
Battin then went on to Columbia University
where she served as Director of Library Services from 1974-1978. In 1978, she took on the additional role of Vice President for Information Services, making her one of the first librarians with the dual responsibility of library administration and technology services. While still at Columbia in 1982, Battin served as Interim President of the Research Libraries Group. She left Columbia University in 1987 to become the first president of the Commission on Preservation and Access. In 1988, on behalf of the Association of Research Libraries
, the Commission on Preservation and Access, and the National Humanities Alliance, Battin testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies (Committee on Appropriations) to propose a collaborative approach to preserving the nation's brittle books and to ask for an increase in federal funding for preservation microfilming. Her testimony led to an increased appropriation of $8 million and the "twenty-year brittle books preservation plan to microfilm three million endangered volumes." For her work with the CPA, Battin was named ACRL/Baker & Taylor Academic or Research Librarian of the Year in 1990.
In 1993, Battin received an L.H.D. from Emory University
. The next year, she retired from the CPA and accepted a position at Emory University, where she became the planning director for the three-year Virtual Library Project. The National Digital Library Federation was formed in 1995, and Battin was appointed as coordinator for six months. That same year, Battin submitted a written statement on the FY-1996 Appropriation for the National Endowment for the Humanities to the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies (Committee on Appropriations) celebrating the successes of NEH's preservation activities and asking Congress to continue funding this work.
Patricia Battin was awarded the 1999 National Humanities Medal
for her “exemplary public service by organizing and leading a national campaign to save millions of brittle books in America’s libraries and archives.” The next year, the Frye Leadership Institute was formed through a collaboration among the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), EDUCAUSE
, and Emory University. The Patricia M. Battin Scholarship was created to provide tuition assistance for individuals whose institutions lack funding, and its purpose is to "foster ethnic, racial, and gender diversity, as well as diversity in professional and scholarly background or type of institution."
Preservation (library and archival science)
Preservation is a branch of library and information science concerned with maintaining or restoring access to artifacts, documents and records through the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of decay and damage....
when she became the first president of the Commission on Preservation and Access. She later became a pioneer in the digital library
Digital library
A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks...
movement and began to work in the area of digital preservation
Digital preservation
Digital preservation is the set of processes, activities and management of digital information over time to ensure its long term accessibility. The goal of digital preservation is to preserve materials resulting from digital reformatting, and particularly information that is born-digital with no...
.
Significance to preservation
Patricia Battin was the first president of the Commission on Preservation and Access (CPA). Battin directed the CPA in its comprehensive efforts to battle the acid paper problem. She was instrumental in organizing a national campaign for the use of alkaline paperAcid-free paper
Acid-free paper is paper that has a neutral or basic pH . It can be made from any cellulose fiber as long as the active acid pulp is eliminated during processing. It is also lignin and sulfur free...
in publishing companies, and her 1988 testimony before the U.S. House of Representatives led to a collaborative effort between higher education and research and the federal government and to increased funding for the National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
Brittle Books Program
Brittle Books Program
The Brittle Books Program is an initiative carried out by the National Endowment for the Humanities at the request of the United States Congress...
.
Education and career
Patricia Battin was born to Emanuel Albert and Josephine (Lehman) Meyer on June 2, 1929 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She attended Swarthmore CollegeSwarthmore College
Swarthmore College is a private, independent, liberal arts college in the United States with an enrollment of about 1,500 students. The college is located in the borough of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, 11 miles southwest of Philadelphia....
from 1947–1951 and received a B.A. in English. The following year, she attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
to pursue American Studies. In 1964, Battin began her career in library services as an intern at the State University of New York at Binghamton. While continuing her work at Binghamton, she attended classes at Syracuse University, and in 1967, Battin earned an M.S. in Library Science
Library science
Library science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
. With her library degree, Battin was promoted from Library Trainee to Assistant Librarian, and from 1967–1974, she continued to move through the ranks at SUNY-Binghamton, holding the titles Assistant Librarian for Cataloging and Assistant Director for Reader Services.
Battin then went on to Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
where she served as Director of Library Services from 1974-1978. In 1978, she took on the additional role of Vice President for Information Services, making her one of the first librarians with the dual responsibility of library administration and technology services. While still at Columbia in 1982, Battin served as Interim President of the Research Libraries Group. She left Columbia University in 1987 to become the first president of the Commission on Preservation and Access. In 1988, on behalf of the Association of Research Libraries
Association of Research Libraries
The Association of Research Libraries is an organization of the leading research libraries in North America. As of October 2006, it comprises 123 libraries at comprehensive, research-intensive institutions in the US and Canada that share similar missions, aspirations, and achievements...
, the Commission on Preservation and Access, and the National Humanities Alliance, Battin testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies (Committee on Appropriations) to propose a collaborative approach to preserving the nation's brittle books and to ask for an increase in federal funding for preservation microfilming. Her testimony led to an increased appropriation of $8 million and the "twenty-year brittle books preservation plan to microfilm three million endangered volumes." For her work with the CPA, Battin was named ACRL/Baker & Taylor Academic or Research Librarian of the Year in 1990.
In 1993, Battin received an L.H.D. from Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
. The next year, she retired from the CPA and accepted a position at Emory University, where she became the planning director for the three-year Virtual Library Project. The National Digital Library Federation was formed in 1995, and Battin was appointed as coordinator for six months. That same year, Battin submitted a written statement on the FY-1996 Appropriation for the National Endowment for the Humanities to the U.S. House of Representatives, Subcommittee on Interior and Related Agencies (Committee on Appropriations) celebrating the successes of NEH's preservation activities and asking Congress to continue funding this work.
Patricia Battin was awarded the 1999 National Humanities Medal
National Humanities Medal
The National Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.The award, given by the...
for her “exemplary public service by organizing and leading a national campaign to save millions of brittle books in America’s libraries and archives.” The next year, the Frye Leadership Institute was formed through a collaboration among the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR), EDUCAUSE
EDUCAUSE
EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association whose mission is "to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology." Membership is open to institutions of higher education, corporations serving the higher education information technology market, and other related...
, and Emory University. The Patricia M. Battin Scholarship was created to provide tuition assistance for individuals whose institutions lack funding, and its purpose is to "foster ethnic, racial, and gender diversity, as well as diversity in professional and scholarly background or type of institution."
Selected bibliography
- Battin, P. (1982). Preservation: The forgotten problem. In Thomas J. Galvin & Beverly P. Lynch (Eds.), Priorities for Academic Libraries. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Battin, P. (1989). Crumbling books. Change, 21(5), 6, 56.
- Battin, P., Helal, A.H., & Weiss, J.W. (1995, Oct.). Electronic documents and information: From preservation to access. Presented at the 18th International Essen Symposium.
- Battin, P., & Reed-Scott, J. (1989, May). Back to the future: Knowing and preserving your collection. Recording of the Amigos Spring Technical Session held in Addison, Texas.
- Hawkins, B.L., & Battin, P. (1998). The Mirage of Continuity: Reconfiguring Academic Information Resources for the 21st Century. Council on Library and Information Resources Association of American Universities: Washington, D.C.
See also
- Acid-free paperAcid-free paperAcid-free paper is paper that has a neutral or basic pH . It can be made from any cellulose fiber as long as the active acid pulp is eliminated during processing. It is also lignin and sulfur free...
- Brittle Books ProgramBrittle Books ProgramThe Brittle Books Program is an initiative carried out by the National Endowment for the Humanities at the request of the United States Congress...
- Digital libraryDigital libraryA digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats and accessible by computers. The digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks...
- Digital preservationDigital preservationDigital preservation is the set of processes, activities and management of digital information over time to ensure its long term accessibility. The goal of digital preservation is to preserve materials resulting from digital reformatting, and particularly information that is born-digital with no...
- Double FoldDouble FoldDouble Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper is a non-fiction book by Nicholson Baker that was published in April, 2001. An excerpt appeared in the July 24, 2000 issue of The New Yorker, under the title "Deadline: The Author's Desperate Bid to Save...
- Library scienceLibrary scienceLibrary science is an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary field that applies the practices, perspectives, and tools of management, information technology, education, and other areas to libraries; the collection, organization, preservation, and dissemination of information resources; and the...
- National Endowment for the HumanitiesNational Endowment for the HumanitiesThe National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
- National Humanities MedalNational Humanities MedalThe National Humanities Medal honors individuals or groups whose work has deepened the nation’s understanding of the humanities, broadened citizens’ engagement with the humanities, or helped preserve and expand Americans’ access to important resources in the humanities.The award, given by the...
- Preservation (library and archival science)Preservation (library and archival science)Preservation is a branch of library and information science concerned with maintaining or restoring access to artifacts, documents and records through the study, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of decay and damage....
- United States Newspaper ProgramUnited States Newspaper ProgramThe United States Newspaper Program is a national effort among the individual states and the US federal government to locate, catalog, and preserve on microfilm, newspapers published in the United States up to the present time. Funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, and...
- Wood-pulp paper