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How Can an Assessment Benefit Your Collection?

Assessments can help you evaluate your collections and can be used to support budget discussions, preservation planning, fundraising activities, and grant applications. Assessments provide a detailed report with recommendations for long-term preservation of collections.


PRESERVATION NEEDS ASSESSMENTS

ARE YOU . . .

- Wondering where to begin on improving preservation practices?
- Looking for new solutions to persistent preservation problems?
- Trying to gain institutional support for preservation activities and goals?

A Preservation Needs Assessment will . . .

- Identify priorities for improvement by taking a holistic perspective to collections care.
- Provide practical recommendations to improve the storage of your materials.
- Assess the condition of a representative sample of your collection.
- Give you a road map to guide your preservation activities for the next five years.
- Make your organization more competitive when applying for grant funding.  


DIGITAL PRESERVATION ASSESSMENTS

ARE YOU . . .

- Looking for steps a smaller institution can take to preserve its digital heritage?
- Wondering where to begin when planning for the preservation of your digital collections?
- Hoping to improve the sustainability of your program through policy and workflow documentation?

A Digital Preservation Assessment will . . .

- Help your organization fine-tune its collecting policies for digital materials.
- Introduce organizations to sustainable and scalable strategies for digital preservation.
- Evaluate the technological resources available to staff and identify opportunities for improvement.  
- Identify priorities for improvement by taking a holistic perspective to collections care.


COLLECTION-LEVEL ASSESSMENTS

ARE YOU . . .

- Trying to gain institutional support for conservation activities and goals?
- Thinking about improving access and looking for guidance?
- Dealing with problematic objects such as film-based collections?

A Collection-level Assessment will . . .

- Focus on a specific subgroup of the collection and the material's current storage conditions.
- Provide a broad overview of the condition of your collection as a whole.
- Recommend next steps for the long-term care of your collection.
- Help with creating policies for access to the collection. 


ITEM-LEVEL ASSESSMENTS

ARE YOU  . . .

- Thinking of next steps after achieving important preservation goals?
- Planning to conserve high-value or at-risk collections?
- Seeking a better understanding of the condition of your items?     

An Item-level Assessment will . . .

- Provide specific information about each object.
- Establish individual conservation priorities and condition levels.
- Recommend steps for the long-term care of a specific part of your collection.
- Assist with internal decisions about treatment of your materials.


QUESTIONS?  Interested in learning more? 

See: Assessments and Consultations

Or Contact:

Michael Lee, Director of Paper and Photograph Conservation
Bexx Caswell-Olson, Director of Book Conservation
Bryce Roe, Director of Audio Preservation Services
Ann Marie Willer, Director of Preservation Services