MacDonald Curator of Preservation
Charles MacDonald wanted to make a lasting impact on Penn Libraries for generations to come...so he provided a gift to create a new position in the libraries - the MacDonald Curatorship for Preservation.
Previously, the Penn Libraries had relied on outsourcing for much of their preservation needs. As collections continued to grow and information formats evolved, the need for professional, in-house staff to oversee the work of preservation became critical. The MacDonald Curator develops and implement a total preservation plan for all the Libraries' resources: books, CDs, DVDs, rare manuscripts, and our growing digital collections. These items number in the millions!
Says MacDonald, a 1981 Wharton graduate:
"I have a long standing interest in the preservation of original source documents. I feel it is important to have them available for future use by scholars."
"We are delighted that Chuck has agreed to establish the MacDonald Curatorship for Preservation at the Libraries," remarked Carton Rogers, Vice Provost and Director of Libraries. "His gift will enable us to develop an aggressive approach to the preservation of the Libraries' collections, and it will also bring us closer to fulfilling our ambitious goals for raising endowment during Penn's Campaign."
As the MacDonald Director of Preservation, Andy Hart leads the Libraries’ work to ensure sustainable access to collections. He directs the Preservation Department, a team that includes the Digital Preservation Librarian, conservators and technicians in the Steven Miller Conservation Laboratory, and Physical Processing staff caring for collections. Andy represents the Libraries in collaborative initiatives, such as the Ivy Plus Preservation Group.
Andy came to Penn in 2020 after twenty-four years as the Preservation Librarian for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to UNC, he worked in preservation for the Columbia University Libraries. He received an ALCTS Honors award in 2018 and an ALCTS Presidential Citation in 2009 for his leadership in the Association for Library Collections and Technical Services. Andy holds an MLS and Certificate of Advanced Study in Preservation Management from the University of Pittsburgh and a BA in English from Binghamton University.