[PADG:1229] Re: Preservation assessment survey of multiple libraries and collections

[Patricia Morris <Patricia.Morris@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Lene,
We are undertaking a collection survey at UCB.  I'd be happy to share the survey
forms and our training manual, if you are interested.

We have chosen larger samples (a minimum of 1000) from each of the sections of
the collections.  The sections or strata were selected to achieve a better
representation of the preservation needs in our collection of around 8 million
volumes, some of which are in four branches and off-site storage.  We select
student workers and train them to be sure we get consistent data.

We have just finished the reference collection, and we have done science,
business, and most of juvenile lit.  The results of our findings are being put
together in reports to determine what sort of picture we are getting from the
data.
Pat

Quoting Lene Palmer <lenep@xxxxxxx>:

> I am the preservation librarian at George Mason University, a fairly
> large public university in Northern Virginia.  We are instituting a
> preservation program, and one of our initial actions will be to conduct
> a survey of the collection to establish its condition.  We have a
> distributed library system which means that we have one main library and
> three smaller "branch" libraries all in one system with a shared
> catalog.  I have two basic questions:
>
> 1.  How should we deal with the fact that we have one collection
> distributed in one main and three smaller libraries?  A sample of 400
> randomly selected volumes seems to be sufficient for a statistically
> valid sample, but is that enough for the entire collection, or should I
> select 400 volumes from the main library and then smaller samples, say
> 150 volumes from each of the other three libraries?
>
> 2.  What should we survey?  If we survey only the circulating
> collection, how to we then assess the reference collection and its
> preservation needs?  The reference collection, of course, is much more
> heavily used than the circulating collection and will have different
> needs, so if we survey them together, the results will probably be
> skewed.  Should I simply concentrate on the circulating collection first
> and then consider the reference collection, government documents, maps,
> etc. later as we gain more experience and hopefully more staff?  We
> intend to do the survey using our current staff as there is no budget
> for hiring a consultant.
>
> Any insight or good advise anyone can give me on either or both of these
> questions will be very much appreciated.
>
> Thank you.
>
> Lene Palmer, Collection Development and Preservation Librarian
> Fenwick Library
> George Mason University
> 4400 University Drive
> Fairfax, VA 22030
> Phone 703-993-2667
> email: lenep@xxxxxxx
>
>


Patricia Morris
Faculty Director, Preservation
Libraries
University of Colorado at Boulder
303-492-3849