PALMCOP is making a comeback! The Palmetto Archives, Libraries, and Museums Council on Preservation elected a new board in February 2015, and it has hit the ground running, planning activities for the upcoming year.
Begun in 1986, PALMCOP was created as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of South Carolina’s documentary heritage. Its mission is to provide its membership with assistance in conserving and preserving their collections. For two decades, PALMCOP has provided education and training in preservation for the staff of libraries, archives, and museums in the Palmetto State— both public and private institutions. This has been conducted primarily via expert-led hands-on workshops on topics such as disaster planning and recovery, photograph preservation, book cleaning and repair, mold prevention and abatement, phase-box making, and grant funding. A seminar-style conference was held annually. Based on a 2014 survey of past members, PALMCOP has determined that the learning opportunities are very much valued. Through the survey, requests were made for continuing a number of popular workshop topics. Plans are now underway to reactivate the older workshops with new presenters. In addition, PALMCOP is exploring new topics as well, such as electronic records preservation and digitization, social media, and promotions.
Also on PALMCOP’s agenda for the upcoming year are the development of a new website and blog, and a re-vamping of the loan program for disaster supplies and environmental monitoring equipment.
Membership in PALMOP is available to anyone who is interested in preserving information. Most memberships are on an institutional basis, which means that once your institution joins, all its staff members are invited to attend workshops and meetings at a reduced rate. Individual memberships are also available. The organization aims to keep workshop and conference costs low to its members, plus it offers the Ruth Munn Kilgallon student scholarship for free registration to the annual conference.
Announcements for PALMCOP events will be coming soon. Do you have ideas for workshop or conference speakers? PALMCOP's leaders would like to hear from you. You can contact PALMCOP by e-mail at palmcop1.sc@gmail.com. Be sure to visit PALMCOP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/palmcop!
