33% of bound volumes

Books, monographs, serials, newspapers, scrapbooks, albums, pamphlets, etc.

Ryan Edge, Project Manager University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The Preservation Self-Assessment Program

The Preservation Self-Assessment Program: •  An open source project •  An assessment tool for photographic materials,

paper objects, and audiovisual media collections

•  The evolution of the Audiovisual Self-Assessment Program (AvSAP)

•  Focused on the needs of museums, archives, and libraries

What is the PSAP? Collections of Unknown Condition Heritage Health Index Report

Advisory Committee: Chicago History Museum

Heritage Preservation Illinois Heritage Association

Illinois State Library McLean County Museum of History

The Spurlock Museum The Urbana Free Library

The Preservation Self-Assessment Program (or PSAP), is a web application designed to guide collection managers and curators through the complicated process of identifying materials and in the prioritization of collection care actions. Through the inspection of artifacts, as well as the evaluation of environments and institutional policies, users will receive from the PSAP a detailed preservation report prioritized in order of “health risks,” as well as direct action proposals that they may use to extend the life of their collections. Though it is chiefly an assessment tool, the PSAP also functions as a rich resource advising on myriad facets of collections care.

30.5% of unbound sheets

Archival records, manuscripts, maps, oversized items, ephemera, broadsides, etc.

42% of photo collections

Prints, negatives, slides, daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, microforms, etc.

PSAP Workflow

Acknowledgments This project is made possible by a National

Leadership Grant from the IMLS and generous support of the University of Illinois Library.

1. Identification

The Format ID Guide is a dynamic and image-/media-rich decision tree that allows users various methods of differentiating between materials so they may pursue the most appropriate form of preservation assessment.

3. Report

Assessment Reports include:

•  Preservation queue, areas of improvement •  Institution score •  Location scores •  Item / Collection scores •  Collection statistics

43.5% of AV media

Moving image and recorded sound: film, videotape, audiotape, phonograph records, etc.

The Focus

As cited in Heritage Preservation’s 2005 Heritage Health Index Report, there are an estimated 1.7 billion books/bound volumes, 52 million unbound paper items, and 727.4 million photographic images trusted to the care of our cultural heritage institutions. Below are figures for the artifacts of in need of assessment:

A 2009 state-wide survey of preservation needs in 291 museums, historical societies, libraries, archives, and historical houses/sites: •  39% have not had a general conditions or

collections survey, •  42% have inadequate humidity control; 34% have

inadequate light control; •  37% don't have a disaster plan; 58% don't have

disaster training; •  59% don't have a conservation plan, •  40% have inadequate security.

Illinois Connecting to Collections survey

Coming early 2015 ! 2. Assessment

Institution (policies, procedures)

•  Preservation planning •  Levels of access, security •  Material inspection •  Disaster recovery

Locations (storage, exhibition)

•  Environment: Temp., RH, light •  Emergency preparedness

Items / Collections •  Format •  Environment •  Use & Access •  Storage / Container •  Physical Condition

Preservation Self-Assessment Program

Institution and location policies and procedures

Policies, levels of access, supervision

Environmental factors and monitoring practices

Disaster preparedness and preemptive measures

Slowing the inevitable… …And mitigating effects of a material’s inherent vice (e.g. optical disc decomposition, nitrate deterioration)

Preventing the unnecessary costs of poor storage and display practices, policy failure, and avoidable mishap (e.g. pest infestations, mold, water damage)