Many people in the field of Preservation, regardless of type
of institution, take part in assessing the place they work at and everything
within it. Recently, I have been working on a preservation needs assessment of
Memorial Library.
What is an Assessment?
A preservation needs assessment encompasses a general (or
more specific), comprehensive survey of the conditions of the building and
surrounding property, the environment in which collections live in, disaster preparedness,
the care and handling of items within the collections, policies and procedures
of the institution, all storage spaces and exhibition spaces, every format that
is within the collection, digital assets…and the list doesn’t have to stop
there!
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I assessed everything but the kitchen sink! Actually, I think I did that too...
Image courtesy of MSU Preservation Department |
After working through an assessment myself (it’s currently
still in progress), I have found that the process is quite overwhelming. How
does one begin such a big task? Well, for me, through the months of February
through June 2015, a class called “Preservation 101” through the NEDCC did the
trick! The class facilitated webinars and discussions, offered worksheets as a
guide (this was a HUGE help), and the results of such a class were very
valuable to me as a preservation technician at an academic library. More
information can be found here.
What I got out of it-
Top 5
1. Surveying an
entire institution for the assessment is a group effort! It requires collaboration and ample discussion with
several people in various positions throughout the workplace. Whether you
assess the entire collection or a small portion of it, chances are you will
need some help.
2. An assessment will
show everybody within the workplace what is going right and can reveal things
that could use a little (or substantial)
improvement. By taking a very close examination, the institution can recognize
issues, limitations, changes that can be made, ideas for a plan of action along
with a timetable for each item, and offers opportunity for review and
discussion.
3. An assessment
raises awareness of any issues found and is the first step to change. This
ties in with the previous point but I wanted to highlight the fact that nothing
can be improved if there is no information to back it up. If you notice
something that may need some improvement, dig in deeper and provide as much
information as possible…with a recommendation for improvement! Explain why this
is a preservation need.
4. It’s a lot of work
but worth it! Once all of the information is gathered in the assessment, a
clearly written and well organized report must be created to better explain all
of the data found. A concise executive summary needs to be written to highlight
top priorities gained from the assessment. These are recommendations that can
be decided upon for implementation by the institution at another time.
Remember, many of these decisions will require some form of diplomacy.
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Maybe you'll feel this way too :)
Image courtesy of zazzle.com |
5. It’s fun! Even
though the task is overwhelming, pretty much from start to finish, learning
about the building, storage areas, formats within the collections, background
information about the facilities, history of the building, the current disaster
plan, and all of the nitty gritty things were fascinating. Not only did I have
the chance to discuss these topics with many different people, but I also
learned so much about the library that I feel more confident in my own position
as I come up with plans for future preservation needs. Though, I must admit
it’s a relief that another assessment won’t need to be written for another
5-10 years unless a major change takes place.
If you have any questions or comments about completing a library-wide
assessment, please comment below!
Jamie Dalbey is a Preservation and Government Documents Technician at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Learn more about Preservation here.
