Writing a Preservation Needs Assessment

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! 

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.

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.