Community Heritage Grants
Preservation Needs Assessment Surveys
In order to care for your collections with a limited budget and limited resources, it is important that preservation decisions are made on a known and rational basis.
Introduction
The preservation needs of your collections, or identified parts of them, have to be considered in line with your organisation's purpose, collecting policies and available resources. You also need to consider the social and political climate in which you operate.
Since resources for preservation will almost never be equal to the amount needed for the total care of your collection, it is important that you consider priorities in preservation decision making, and be aware of alternative pathways to achieve your goals.
Before a completely satisfactory preservation plan can be put in place for any collection, a preservation needs assessment survey should be undertaken. For community groups, this will almost always involve calling ain a consultant to help you with the technical details. A survey will clarify your ideas on:
- the relationship of your collections to the overall organisation or institution that you represent
- the purpose of your collections - what is collected, why is it collected, what is the authority for its collecting
- the scope of your collection - how big is it, how fast is it growing, what types of material does it contain
- how it is used - who are the users, how you control and monitor the use it gets
- the present condition of the collection
- both the good and the bad aspects of how it is currently housed and cared for
- what risks the collections face
- what improvements can be made in the preservation of the collections
The first four of these points can be considered as background information - what you need to establish before you call for a consultant's help. Preferably, your answers to them should form part of your brief to the consultants. If you find it too difficult to answer some of them, a good consultant should be able to guide you through your responses.
The last four points will need to be discussed with the consultants. No consultant can work in isolation from the client. You will need to put some time into working with the consultant to ensure that the final report is both correct, comprehensive and applicable to your specific collections. This document covers some of the information gathering steps that go to make up a preservation needs assessment - looking at their purpose and expected outcomes.
Background Information
Responses to the following should be considered and prepared before you engage a consultant.
To provide answers to the questions that follow, you will need to look at written reports or files and policies and procedure manuals if they exist. The most likely source of information, however, will be verbal - interviews, observations, surveys. The result of the information gathering phase sets the context for the preservation needs survey itself.
Statement of purpose, organisational setting
- What is your organisation's purpose - its goals and objectives
- What documentary or other evidence influence or affect the operation of the organisation with respect to its collections
- What is the availability of resources - likely budget for collecting, preservation, housing, staffing
- What organisational or external pressures are there - financial, manpower, service, trends in collection development etc
- What is this assessment for, and who is its audience
- What is its authority
Scope of the collections
- What subjects are collected
- Why are they collected
- What are the major components of the collections
- What formats of material do they contain (See Collections Description Form for one way of describing your collections)
- How big are your collections
- How have your collections developed over time - what is 'important' and why
- What is their importance to your organisation - how do they relate to the organisation's goals and objectives
- How fast are your collections growing
- What future directions do you see your collecting taking
- What is the main value of the collections - eg genealogical, information resource, monetary value, historical or political, scientific, religious or symbolic
- Are your collections under bibliographic control.
- If 'yes' what system do you use and is a copy of your catalogue kept safe in off site storage
- Are your collection items identified as belonging to your organisation
- If 'yes' what method do you use (stamp, embossing, written label)
Use of the collections
- Are your collections available for use
- If 'yes', who can use your collections
- How is the collection accessed by staff and researchers
- Are users allowed open access to the collection
- What responsibilities do they have to properly care for the collections
- What personal materials may be taken into the reading/research room
- Are users monitored at all times
- Are there rules to be followed by users
- If 'yes' are these known and understood
Collections and Housing Survey
The following questions are some that should be considered for inclusion when you commission a preservation needs assessment survey of your collections.
They are intended to serve as a guide only. Since it is a list of very general questions, not all might be relevant for your own institution. You should discuss with the consultant what questions can be omitted and whether there are other additional questions that should be asked to cover the specific needs of your collection. Some of the questions you will be able to answer without using a consultant. The consultant will be important, however, to interpret some of your answers to these questions and to some of those in the preceding section, and to draw all the responses together into a final report.
This survey is intended to gather information which will enable you to better plan your collection preservation strategies. It consists of a series of sections, each of which relates to some aspects of your organisation's collections and their housing and storage. Each section contains a set of questions and/or key words or phrases to help you answer those questions.
The organisation and its staffing
This section gives the basic details of your organisation - always remember to include this information.
- Name of organisation
- Address
- Telephone/fax/email
- Director of organisation
- Contact officer
- Number of staff
- Number of volunteers
- Date of survey
- Name of officer undertaking survey
Location
This section gives a word picture of the location where your collections are housed. It attempts to describe and identify external environmental threats that might cause problems for your collections.
- Describe the district where the collections are housed
(residential, industrial/commercial, shopping centre, rural, recreational) - Are there any major industrial or natural hazards very close to where the collections are housed (airport, railroad/motorway, natural water ways such as the ocean, lakes, rivers, natural vegetation or bushland, other buildings)
- What is the immediate surroundings or perimeter to the building (fences and gates, natural barriers such as rivers, lakes, ocean front etc, dark corners, overhangs, areas providing cover)
- Are the surroundings secure
(regular patrols, effective lighting, gates secured and access controlled, separate access for staff and visitors/users) - Is pollution from factories, traffic or the environment a
problem
(dust, gaseous pollutants)
The Building
This section attempts to describe the building/buildings which house your collections. A sketch may be helpful to explain your answers .If your collections are housed in more than one building, you will need to describe each separately If the buildings are spread over more than 1 site, the previous section 'Location' should also be repeated for each site.
- How many buildings are the collections housed in
- Describe the construction of each building
(age, type of construction, type of materials used, type of roof, type of windows, screening to doors and windows, locks and/or bars on windows , skylights, floor construction, other features) - Describe the condition of building, including walls and the
roof
(excellent, good, poor, fair, needs maintenance) - How big is the building (approximately only)
(total amount of floor space, number of floors at ground level and above, number of floors below ground level) - Where are the collections housed within the building
(which floors, rooms etc) - Does the location or architectural design of the building create unusual problems in protection of the collections
- Does your organisation occupy the whole building
(if not, who are the other tenants, what parts do they occupy, what do they use the building for) - Are there other buildings on the same site, and if so what is their
purpose
(belonging to your institution, belonging to other organisations) - How many entrances to the building are there
(for staff, visitors, others) - What are the approximate number of visitors to the building
(per annum, at any one time or session) - What are the approximate number of visitors to the area housing
your collection
(per annum, at any one time or session)
Building utilities and site maintenance
This section asks questions about the building utilities - air conditioning, lighting etc, and maintenance programs for the building and its surroundings. Maintenance serves two very important functions - firstly it makes certain that the fabric and environment are maintained in good order, and secondly it ensures that regular inspections are made of them.
Cleanliness and housekeeping
- Are checks made on the cleanliness and condition of the outdoor areas of the building. If 'yes' how often
- Are checks made on the cleanliness and condition of the inside
rooms of the building. If 'yes' how often
How often are collection areas cleaned, and by what method
(daily/ weekly/ annual/other; dusting of collections, sweeping of floors, mopping/washing of floors, vacuuming of floors, wiping of shelves, other) - Are checks made to detect insect and animal infestation.
- If 'yes' for what pests, how often, and what sort of checks
(cockroaches, carpet beetles, termites, ants, rats, mice etc - regular inspections, sticky traps) - Do you employ any methods of pest control
- If yes, what methods
(knock down sprays, residual chemicals, physical barriers, windows screened) - Are collections stored at a safe distance from plumbing, electrical and mechanical installations - water pipes, radiators, air conditioning, kitchens, transformer or switch rooms
- Is the area where collections are stored susceptible to leaks or flooding
Air conditioning and environmental control
- Is air conditioning installed in the building
- If 'yes', what sort of system is it
- What areas of the building are covered by the system
- If you have no air conditioning system OR, for areas not covered by your system, how are rooms heated and/or cooled
- If you have no air conditioning system OR, for areas not covered by your system , how is humidity controlled
- Does the air conditioning provide constant climate control throughout the year
- Is the air conditioning system kept at a constant level 24 hours a day
- What settings of temperature and humidity does the air conditioning operate at
- Is the air conditioning turned down or shut off at any time
- What sort of air filtration system is used
- Are monitoring devices for temperature and relative humidity used in the facility
- If 'yes' are they used on a regular basis?
- What conditions of temperature and relative humidity are maintained
Lighting and light exposure
- What exposure do the collections get to natural daylight
- Have any steps have been taken to reduce the amount of natural light entering the areas where collections are housed?(blinds, louvres, shades)
- What exposure do the collections get to artificial light
(tungsten lighting, fluorescent lighting) - What steps have been taken to reduce the amount of ultra violet (UV) light entering or given off by lights in the areas where collections are housed?
- (UV filtering films, UV filtering to lights)
- Have any steps have been taken to reduce the exposure of the collections to artificial light
- What is the daily length of exposure to of the collections to
light
(working hours, on demand)
Disaster preparedness and response
Collections can be put at risk by a range of incidents or emergencies. Risk management strategies are important to minimise the effects of these incidents. The term 'disaster response planning' is one way of describing activities which will help recovery operations. The questions asked here are intended to alert you to some of the factors that need considering.
General preparedness
- Have any major incidents or disasters occurred in the past 5
years
(bomb threats and bombing, civil disturbances, riots, wars, natural disasters - flood, earthquake, fire, dust storm) - What is the likelihood of any major incidents or disasters
happening
(bomb threats and bombing, civil disturbances, riots, wars, natural disasters - flood, earthquake, fire, dust storm) - Do written plans exist for response to any major incident or
disaster
(bomb threats and bombing, civil disturbances, riots, wars, natural disaster - flood, earthquake, fire, dust storm) - Are the staff trained in emergency response procedures
(delegated officer in charge, regular training, emergency evacuations) - Has a disaster preparedness and response plan been prepared for your facility
- If 'yes' when was it last updated and what elements does it
contain
(description of emergency procedures, disaster response outline, emergency supplies list, recovery priorities, conservation experts,, supplies stored off-site, list of staff volunteers, other)
Fire preparedness
- How safe is the building from fire
(location/surrounding is fire prone, building materials - fire resistant?, fire resistant walls separating parts of the building, fire resistant doors) - Has the building a smoke or fire detection system
- If 'yes' what sort
- Is there an automatic fire extinguishing system in the area
- If 'yes' what sort
- Are there manual fire fighting systems in the area
- If 'yes' how many and what sort
(extinguishers, fire hoses etc - how many, what type) - Are the fire detection and/or extinguishing systems inspected regularly
- Is smoking allowed in any areas
- Does the building have lightning conductors
- Are large amounts of flammable materials stored on site
- Are special precautions taken when potentially dangerous activities are undertaken
Building and collection security
- Do written plans exist for breaches of building or collection
security
(equipment or installation failure, vandalism, robbery, assault, accidents to staff and visitors) - Have any major breaches of building or collection security occurred in the past 5 years
- Are precautions taken to guard against theft of collection items
- If 'yes' what precautions are taken
- Do you have a security system installed
- If 'yes' what type , and who monitors it
General care of the collections
Simple preventive preservation measures will go a long way to keep your collections in good condition. The following questions address some of the issues which will enable you to care for your collections in an appropriate and safe way.
Use of the collections
- Are staff and users trained in the care of the collections
(safe handling of the printed collections, safe handling of special material collections, basic preservation procedures, emergency procedures) - If 'yes' what training is given
- Is photocopying permitted for all printed materials, art works and photographic prints
- If 'no' what restrictions apply
- Are members or staff trained to remove materials from storage
- Is access restricted to any parts of the collection
- If 'yes' who has access
Storage and housing
- Where are your collections housed
(separate storage area, office area, exhibition area, reading room, other) - What part of the building are these located in
(below ground, ground level, above ground) - What sort of storage system is used
(open shelves, compactus shelving, closed shelves in book case or cupboard, filing cabinets, map cases, stacked on floor, other) - What type of material is used for the storage system
(unpainted wood, painted or varnished wood, painted metal, unpainted metal, other) - What storage materials are used for your collections, for what
format of materials
(non archival boxes, archival boxes, manilla folders, plastic folders, archival folders, encapsulation, mounting, framing, other) - How are oversized materials housed and shelved
- Are collections overcrowded in storage
- Is there more secure or special storage provided for any parts of the collection.
- If yes, for what kinds of material and what sort of storage
Environmental conditions
- What environmental conditions are your general collections stored
in
(air conditioning - 24 hour, air conditioning - intermittent, ceiling fans, other temperature or relative humidity control, what range of temperature and relative humidity apply in the area, is there any air filtration) - Are any collections given special environmental conditions for storage(air conditioning - 24 hour, air conditioning - intermittent, ceiling fans, other temperature or relative humidity control, what range of temperature and relative humidity apply in the area, is there any air filtration)
- Is mould a problem in the areas housing collections
- If 'yes' what steps are taken to control it?
Preservation issues
- Is there any one on staff with responsibility for preservation of
the collections
(commissioning conservation treatments, commissioning preservation surveys, duplication and microfilming) - Is there someone on staff or a member of the organisation with preservation skills
- Are any simple conservation procedures undertaken
(surface cleaning, removal of tape, mending, reinforcement, encapsulation, boxing/foldering, binding, binding repair, other) - Have you identified and/or used any persons or organisations with specialised preservation skills in your local area
- Has a survey of the condition of the building been done
- If 'yes', when and by whom and what were the findings
- Has a survey of the condition of the collections been done
- If 'yes' by whom and what were findings
- Have other members and staff of the organisation received any preservation/conservation training from that or another person
- Have members or staff attended education programs on preservation/conservation issues
- If 'yes' what were the major topics covered
- Does the organisation have a preservation plan
- Have preservation priorities for your collections been established.
- If 'yes', on what basis
Condition of the collections
A preservation needs assessment obviously has to take into account the current condition of the collection and identify potential problems. At this stage, however, only very general comments are likely to be possible, since a complete analysis would require a full condition survey of the collections.
- What is the overall condition of the collections
- What collections are in poor condition
- What collections are at most risk
Final Report
It is expected that a final report on your organisation's preservation needs assessment will take into account answers to the foregoing questions.
Not all will necessarily be relevant to your own institution, but they also to alert you to some of the considerations that are important in planning the general care of your collections.
Collections Description Form
- Describe the type, age range and amount of your holdings by filling in the following table.
- Amount will probably be given either as approximate number of items (eg 300 photographs, 2000 books), as 'shelf metres' (eg 10 shelf metres of manuscript boxes) or some other measure of amount. For each material type state what unit you are measuring it in.
- Try and indicate a date range for your collections. It may be possible to split up holdings into different date ranges - for example 10,000 books pre 1850; 20 000 books 1850-1900; 500 000 books 1900-present
| Books and papers | Quantity (give units) | Age range |
| handwritten documents | ||
| typed or photocopied documents | ||
| printed books (monographs) | ||
| posters, printed single sheets | ||
| serials (journals, periodicals) | ||
| newspapers |
| Pictures, maps, plans | Quantity (give units) | Age range |
| watercolours | ||
| drawings | ||
| prints | ||
| architectural drawings/originals | ||
| architectural drawings/tracings | ||
| blueprints, other reproductions | ||
| maps and charts | ||
| paintings |
| Photographs and microfilm | Quantity (give units) | Age range |
| photographs (black and white) | ||
| photographs (colour) | ||
| colour slides | ||
| black & white negatives | ||
| colour negatives | ||
| motion picture film | ||
| microfilm/reels | ||
| microfilm/microfiche | ||
| microfilm/preservation masters |
| Music and sound recordings | Quantity (give units) | Age range |
| records (LP's, 45's, 78's) | ||
| cassette tapes | ||
| reel to reel tapes | ||
| wax cylinders | ||
| compact discs (CD) | ||
| video tapes | ||
| electronic media/computer tapes | ||
| electronic media/CD-ROM |
| Other materials - please list them |
Quantity (give units) | Age range |
