Panitza Library Special Collection policy includes all existing organizational Library policies for security, storage, cleaning, maintenance, processing, monitoring, and control of the environment, protection, emergency planning, and restoration, as well as emphasizes on regulations for rare books use.
The procedures aim to ensure the necessary balance between public access, the Collection security, the service capacity, and the library mission. There may also be cases where access to fragile materials is only possible under exceptional circumstances. The procedures will be reviewed regularly to ensure that they are effective, meet the patrons’ needs and guarantee the items safety.
The conditions and the order of storage activities, use and document disposal of Library materials, representing cultural values are controlled and organized according to Regulation # 3, dated from 18 November 2014 and the Cultural Heritage Act. [1]
All the recommendations of the standard BDS_ISO_11799: 2016 regarding the requirements for preservation of documents and library materials suitable for maintaining the library materials integrity, defined as a Special Collection, including their historical, textual, pictorial and physical content, have been fulfilled. This policy sets out what procedures the Library will follow to achieve its obligation to better preserve the Special Collection books, while maintaining and promoting access to these collections. This policy refers to specific standards and procedures suitable only for non-digital formats.
[1] The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an independent, non-governmental international organization, which brings together experts to share knowledge and develop voluntary, consensus-based, market relevant International Standards that support innovation and provide solutions to global challenges. In the updated version of the standard BDS ISO 11799 from 2016, depending on the climatic and economic conditions in a country, the creation and maintenance of ideal conditions for long-term storage of archival and Library materials may be a challenging process. This International Standard presents facts and general rules that must be executed when constructing a new building intended for storage of Library materials, transforming it, or when the building is undergoing major repairs in order to achieve energy efficiency and sustainable development.