Preservation Survey Demonstrates the Persistent Need for Collaboration

Brad Wiles, Northern Illinois University

The CARLI Preservation Committee will soon release the results and official report of a consortium wide survey on the status of collections preservation across its member institutions. The 2025 survey utilized many of the same questions as the previous survey conducted in 2015, capturing information on institutional resources, personnel, and activities related to physical and digital collections preservation activities. In some instances the new survey sought more detailed and granular information about the types of budgetary and non-budgetary funds allocated for preservation. But the most substantial expansion from the 2015 survey included a section with questions attempting to gain a better understanding of respondents’ knowledge and preferences around preservation staff development and training. In 2015, the most selected preservation areas that members sought assistance or advice for were digital preservation, disaster and emergency management, and media preservation. In the 2025 survey, these three remained at the top along with digitization and reformatting, pointing to an even greater emphasis on the need for digital preservation skills development. 

The information gathered in the survey will help the CARLI Preservation Committee coordinate programs and develop resources that will benefit member institutions and the individuals conducting preservation work. In addition to helping ensure the long-term viability of collections, getting a better sense of current training needs is crucial for at least a few reasons:

1. Federal and state economic and political conditions will impact the amount of funding available for preservation-related activities for all CARLI members, just as the ongoing digital shift presents novel challenges and opportunities that libraries must contend with to remain relevant.
2. Climate change, extreme weather events, and aging physical infrastructure all conspire to put our collections at greater risk than ever, requiring at least a baseline of preservation knowledge at our institutions to mitigate against the increasing likelihood of damage or permanent loss.
3. Survey results indicate a wide discrepancy of preservation resources, assets, and capabilities among CARLI members, usually tied to an institution’s size and funding, which makes having a robust network at the ready in Illinois and beyond an essential component of continuing professional education and training for all member institutions.

The capabilities for delivering remote preservation education and training are much greater than they were in 2015 and respondents expressed a clear preference for webinars and other virtual delivery. However, there will always be a hands-on component library staff will likely find desirable, especially when it comes to preserving physical materials. Based on the feedback in the survey, the Preservation Committee will work with our partners throughout CARLI over the next year to offer a variety of programs and resources that help address the preservation needs identified. 

View additional articles in the Preservation Outreach and Engagement Series!