Exploring

Preservation Planning

The Planning Process

"Planning provides a rational process to analyze needs systematically to minimize the problems and maximize the opportunities."
 —Jutta Reed-Scott, "Planning for Preservation in Libraries," in Preservation: Issues and Planning

In her article, Jutta Reed-Scott sets forth the basic components of the preservation planning process:

• identify and assess preservation needs (through some type of survey)
• set priorities among preservation needs according to the institution's mission
• evaluate existing preservation activities
• decide what preservation functions are needed within the institution and how they will be organized
• allocate resources for preservation
• write a plan and determine how the plan will be implemented

Identifying and assessing needs is an information-gathering process: what collections does the institution hold and what is their condition? How are collections housed? What are the environmental conditions within the building(s)? Is there a disaster plan? Are collections protected from fire and theft? Are repair, binding, and/or conservation treatment undertaken regularly? How much funding is allocated for preservation? How much staff time?

Once you have discerned your preservation needs, you must consider potential solutions to the problems you have identified. What answers are most appropriate for your particular institution and situation? What existing activities already have a preservation component, and how should existing preservation activities change to meet the needs you have identified?

As part of this process, you will need to assess your institutional mission and goals (discussed in Session 1: Introduction to Preservation) and the personnel and monetary resources currently available, as well as potential future resources. See Program Management and Program Funding for further discussion of these issues.

Once all the relevant issues have been considered, you should set preservation priorities and pull together a preservation strategy that includes an action plan and timetable (see Preparing a Preservation Plan). A systematic preservation plan will allow you to respond effectively to preservation needs and take advantage of preservation opportunities that might otherwise have been missed.