SESSION 9: BUILDING A PRESERVATION PROGRAM

In the previous sessions of this course, you have learned about the factors that cause or accelerate the deterioration of collections, as well as strategies that can be used to prevent or mitigate damage. In this session, you will learn how to pull together these building blocks to create a systematic and well thought out preservation plan for your institution.

The preservation planning process has several explicit goals: to determine preservation problems and needs; to identify activities that will solve those problems and meet those needs; to allocate resources to implement preservation activities; and to prepare a detailed plan for carrying out the necessary activities.

The planning process also has the implicit goal of educating staff members and administration about preservation issues. Preservation cuts across existing organizational divisions and affects virtually every aspect of an institution's operations. Thus, creating an environment in which all staff members apply preservation knowledge and skills in their everyday work is very important. This can significantly improve the condition of collections even without large expenditures of funds.

To achieve your preservation planning goals, it is best to undertake the planning process by consensus, involving a range of institutional staff, including the institution's senior management (e.g., director, board of trustees). This helps to increase staff understanding of preservation issues and builds support for the inevitable changes the plan will bring.

This session will help you:

• understand how to set goals for preservation and devise a preservation policy;
• determine how preservation program components might be implemented differently in different types of institutions;
• identify sources and strategies for fundraising and budgeting;
• organize and manage staffing for preservation;
• learn how to summarize preservation needs and write a preservation plan; and
• identify additional resources to help you learn more about preservation planning.