Exploring

Program Management

Documentation and Statistics

Ongoing documentation of preservation activities ensures that data is available to support any changes that may be needed. Documentation may involve describing existing preservation procedures, keeping statistics on preservation activities, maintaining records of conservation treatment and other activities, and providing photo documentation.

Documentation of preservation activities is important because it:

• provides crucial information for new staff in case of reorganization or staff turnover
• documents current practices so that they can be compared to future practices
• supports necessary product, equipment, or technology changes
• provides information that can be used to determine future budgeting and staffing levels

Preservation statistics can be very helpful for planning and budgeting, but you must carefully consider how many to keep, in what categories, and how you will use them.