The National Library of Medicine is responsible for preserving the biomedical literature. In l986, the Library undertook a project to microfilm an estimated 158,000 volumes that are at risk of loss because the paper they are printed on has become brittle over time. To date, approximately 60,000 volumes have been filmed under previous contracts. The objective of this contract is to prepare brittle volumes for microfilming, ship them to a microfilming contractor, check in the microfilm and filmed volumes when they are received back from the filmer, and update the Library's bibliographic files to indicate that the microfilm has been produced. Preparation tasks include pulling volumes from the shelves, performing page by page collation to identify bibliographic and physical problems, producing targets to be filmed with the volumes, and determining the number and sequence of volumes to be filmed on each reel. It is estimated that 5,000 volumes per year will be prepared for filming. The work will be performed on site at the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland.
