Preservation Committee Annual Report 2019

submitted by Treshani Perera

Current Roster

  • Treshani Perera, chair (2022)
  • Maria Jane Loizou, member (2020)
  • Matthew Vest, member (2020)
  • Elizabeth Berndt-Morris, member (2021)
  • Jonathan Manton, member (2022)
  • Peter Shirts, member (2022)
  • Kristi Bergland, member (2023)
  • Keith D. Eiten, member (2023)
  • William Sherfey, member (2023)
  • Melissa E. Wertheimer, ex-officio (2021)

At the end of MLA 2019, Rob DeLand and Alice Carli completed their terms as committee members. Kristi Bergland, Keith Eiten, and Bill Sherfey joined the committee as new members.

List of Previous Goals and Progress Made

Create and administer committee survey: Survey on Quality of Binding and Physical Condition in Books and Scores

  • Working group was formed in October 2018 – comprising of Treshani Perera, Peter Shirts, and Maria Jane Loizou – to create the survey and disseminate via MLA-L and other professional list-servs.
  • The working group reviewed existing brief survey in early November 2018, created new survey questionnaire, sought feedback from the rest of the committee, and administered the survey from January-February 2019.
  • The committee received Board approval to disseminate the survey as an official MLA-Committee sponsored research study.
  • The survey did not require IRB clearance at the University of Kentucky due to anonymous data gathering methodology.
  • In February, weeks prior to the MLA Annual Meeting, the working group analyzed survey data and presented survey results to the committee during the Preservation Committee Business Meeting at MLA 2019.
  • In March 2019, Treshani Perera and Peter Shirts began working on the white paper outlining survey results.
  • The paper was temporarily put on hold, due to competing projects and priorities at workplaces, with the goal of resuming activities in Fall 2019.

List of Future Goals

Complete white paper outlining survey results and disseminate to the professional community via the MLA website.

  • This goal aligns with MLA’s Core Value: Advancement of knowledge about music (the Association promotes research and scholarship by members and non-members on all topics pertaining to aspects of music).

Work on revising the Music Preservation Resources bibliography on the committee webpage.

  • This goal aligns with MLA’s Core Value: Expertise (the Association fosters excellence in music librarianship through the professional development of its members).

Propose a pre-conference (unconference) workshop for MLA 2021 covering various aspects of music preservation.

  • This goal aligns with MLA Goal Area: Education and Objective 1: Increase enrollment in MLA-sponsored training and professional development programs.