Collections are at the heart of libraries. Today they underpin vital access, learning and community strategies, and in the future they will sustain knowledge and allow interpretation of the past. Material which is part of our heritage, or forms a long-term record of our life and work, must be maintained and supported.
Strategy to sustain this material has taken different forms over the years, depending on technology, available funding and the role taken by national and regional bodies. The National Preservation Office (NPO) formulated some principles for such a strategy in 2001.1 Among these were the need to assess the state of preservation of collections, to address priorities and to ensure appropriate training in best practice.
The first of these needs was covered by a programme of preservation surveys managed by the NPO in a large number of individual UK libraries and archives between 2001 and 2005. The method used was the NPO’s Preservation Assessment Survey, or PAS (see panel below), which obtains a reliable snapshot picture of the state of preservation of a library collection or archive holdings by examining the preservation environment and condition of a sample of approximately 400 items.
The data from 97 of these surveys has now been aggregated and the results published as Knowing the Need.2 These surveys represent an estimated 28 million items. Statistically reliable data has an impact, even if merely confirming what we already think we know, and provides a firm basis on which to take action. Some very basic common perceptions are confirmed by the NPO survey data – disaster plans are not always in place, and many books have damaged bindings. However, the database structure we have devised allows more sophisticated analysis and indicates some distinct areas of priority.
We have data from academic and public libraries, and special libraries which are neither local authority-run nor part of an academic institution. Such libraries often have very important collections yet find it difficult to find adequate funding for preservation. We have data from all the English regions, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
However, we did not include public library lending stock and undergraduate student collections, since they are generally not intended for long-term retention. Higher education institution special collections are included, as are public library local history and special collections.
The state of preservation in UK libraries
The surveys have demonstrated that, although much of the material in collections surveyed is in good or fair condition, there is a significant proportion (13 per cent) which is unstable, actively deteriorating or vulnerable to damage if used. A number of key preservation practices are widely absent. The situation must be improved in order to minimise risk to collections, prevent deterioration in the future and redress damage which has already occurred.
The key issues for libraries are:
environmental monitoring and control (88 per cent of library material is not in an appropriate environment)
storage (50 per cent of all material is in poor storage)
- surface dirt (50 per cent of material has surface dirt – potential food for pests and moulds and bad for the library’s public image)
- disaster planning (46 per cent of material is not covered by a written plan)
- damage to bindings (46 per cent of all bindings are damaged)
- acidic paper (12 per cent of library material shows evidence of brittle paper).
At the individual level, the following are the most urgent issues:
- housekeeping measures – cleaning,
- packaging
- disaster planning
- conservation
- better storage
- environmental monitoring and control.
At a more strategic level, the findings suggest that action to address the need should focus on:
- reducing the amount of material in unstable condition
- improving building quality
- identifying and implementing the most appropriate methods for retarding or correcting the development of brittle paper
- ensuring there is an appropriately skilled workforce in both preservation and conservation.
It is instructive to compare the NPO survey results with the Heritage Health Index Report for US collections.3 Using a different methodology (a questionnaire survey), and covering a wide range of types of institution (archives, libraries, historical societies, museums and scientific collections), the results were nevertheless broadly similar.
Major weaknesses were found in accommodation and storage, environmental management, disaster planning and budgetary issues. All conspire to constitute a ‘public trust at risk’.
Interestingly, US libraries appear to have less developed disaster planning than UK libraries (only 22 per cent have plans and trained staff to implement them), but in the US as in the UK, libraries are the least well-provided sector for environmental monitoring and control. The universality of these preservation issues confirms the need to make them a focus for constructive effort and for funding.
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The Preservation Assessment Survey - How does it work?
Users identify a sample of 400 items selected at random or systematically from a library or archive, or one or more of its collections. The sample is always 400 (or as close as possible), whatever the size of the collection.
They complete a short questionnaire for each item in the sample. Part 1 is a ‘tick box’ form, asking questions relating to the preservation of the item—access, use, accommodation, condition and usability, value and importance. Part 2 requires an assessment of the condition of the item and the types of damage it may show.
Information from the forms is keyboarded into an Access™ database.
Data is returned to the NPO for the generation of reports.
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Using the findings within the institution
The survey method was designed as a practical tool to enable institutions to plan and prioritise their own preservation and conservation activities, and to support applications for funding for particular collections or preservation projects.
We surveyed users to find out how they had applied their survey reports within their organisation. The statistics have been used in a wide range of scenarios:
- developing and steering planning and policy
- identifying problem areas of storage
- managing and justifying resource requirements – staff or budgets
- influencing/educating senior managers and external contacts
- identifying the need for regional funding and collaboration supporting bids for internal and external funding
- setting and meeting conservation targets
- continuity (managing staff changes)
- following up a whole-collection survey with a detailed examination of problem areas.
Funding bodies, such as the Heritage Lottery Fund, the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust, and the Wellcome Trust’s Research Resources in Medical History, generally require an overview of the state of preservation of a collection in order to assess the benefit of the bids submitted to them. Use of PAS data has been successful: for example, small grants to purchase specific shelving or conservation equipment have been received; a number of larger conservation treatment grants have been achieved; and ongoing funding for part-time staffing to support activities such as repackaging has been gained.
Data from the reports is being used to support applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund. We know that in at least one case survey reports have been a critical factor in obtaining government approval and funding for a new archive repository.
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Comments from users of the Preservation Assessment Survey
‘… document provides solid foundation to build on’
‘… increased awareness of preservation activities’
‘… identified a need for a specific preservation budget’
‘… reinforced our own understanding’
‘… assisted in targeting collections for preservation, digitisation and conservation activity by highlighting problems and enabling us to assess the most cost-effective approach to having the greatest impact on the greatest number of items’
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Using the findings for strategy
The NPO’s programme has identified aspects of preservation which could and should be improved. Much can be achieved by individual libraries and through local co-operation. Collaborative local or regional action could address many of the local requirements by implementing
- shared stores
- shared disaster response arrangements
- shared access to conservation expertise
- shared purchase and distribution of equipment and supplies
- training in best practice.
In other areas only concerted action and funding, possibly at a national level, is likely to create viable initiatives, such as mass deacidification and large-scale collaborative storage.
Meeting future need
We must now move towards meeting preservation need in a consistent manner. Capacity, skills and funding are needed to sustain collections for the future. The NPO will be working with a range of partners to encourage and participate in debate to develop the necessary strategies.
The NPO’s own work will respond to the needs defined through the survey programme. The office’s overall aim is to provide an independent focus for preservation management practitioners and organisations caring for library and archive materials throughout the UK and Ireland. Our key goals for 2005-08 are:
- to enable cultural heritage agencies and organisations to develop strategies for the preservation of cultural heritage assets in museums, libraries and archives through the development and promotion of preservation management tools
- to provide enquiry and information services, and preservation management training opportunities, for individuals and organisations caring for collections throughout the UK and Ireland.
We will continue to offer preservation survey services both to individual institutions and to regional or sectoral groups of libraries and archives. The data received will be added to the national database and we will continue to publish update reports.
As part of our information service we publish introductory leaflets on a range of preservation topics.4 New titles will emphasise the themes highlighted by the survey results: Cleaning Books and Documents was published in October 2005; we are planning titles on environmental monitoring and control and disaster planning this year.
Our training programme will follow the same lines, focusing on the areas of need highlighted by our survey findings. ‘How Clean Are Your Books?’, a one-day course on surface dirt, has been offered twice and will run again in June. ‘Preservation for Access’ is a well-established introduction to preservation management which runs twice yearly. Further training days on environmental management and disaster planning are being developed.
Our information service will be strengthened by a partnership with MDA (formerly the Museums Documentation Association), the Institute of Conservation and the Museums, Libraries & Archives Council, under the banner of Collections Link. A single website and enquiry point will receive, answer or redirect enquiries relating to all aspects of collection management, including library preservation.
The NPO’s information resources will be accessible through this website. We anticipate that Collections Link, due to be launched this spring, will allow us to reach new audiences and to give our users easy access to other relevant material.
We now know that considerable amounts of library material are at risk unless preservation practice is improved, and that collaboration and investment are needed. Working from the ‘big picture’ helps us to demonstrate that we are planning consistently and constructively, on the basis of firm evidence.
This holds true for individual libraries and for the future of all the nation’s collections.
References
1 A National Preservation Strategy for Library and Archive Collections in the United Kingdom and Ireland: principles and prospects (www.bl.uk/services/npo/pdf/national.pdf).
2 Alison Walker and Julia Foster. Knowing the Need: a report on the emerging picture of preservation need in libraries and archives in the UK. National Preservation Office, 2006. Available as download from www.bl.uk/npo or in hard copy on request from the NPO.
3 A Public Trust at Risk: the Heritage Health Index Report on the state of America’s collections. Heritage Preservation, 2005 (www.heritagehealthindex.org).
4 See www.bl.uk/services/npo/publicationsleaf.html
Alison Walker is Head, National Preservation Office.