Preservation efforts are needed immediately to save a quarter of all the volumes housed in research libraries. These books are turning to dust because alum sizing was introduced into the paper-making process in the mid-1800s. The destruction of some books can be reversed through deacidification. The content of other books can be saved only by microfilming the books before they disintegrate. Most of the scholarly materials that have been printed in the United States were produced during the acid paper era. Because an estimated 78 million brittle books are on the shelves of American research libraries, universities are participating in a number of preservation initiatives. With assistance from the National Endowment for the Humanities, 20 large research libraries are in the process of microfilming three million volumes of these materials. Cooperation is a major focus in these and other efforts. Although preservation must be accomplished at the grassroots level, funding for grassroots efforts is scarce. To make a case for preservation support, archivists and librarians need to assess the current condition of their collections and plan for action. An accurate assessment of their needs is of paramount importance to planning for action and receiving funding. Parental institution or in-house support is the first step in establishing a successful preservation program. In competition for ever-restricted resources, preservation can be touted as an expenditure that will save great quantities of resources in the future. Faculty, alumni, and Friends groups are all good sources of support for preservation programs. Grants can also be sought for restoration and conservation projects of special collections that require more funding than the regular preservation budget can accommodate. (A description of fund-raising resources and ideas includes nine references to organizational and printed sources of information.) (KRN)