Reflecting on Ten Years of Preservation: The Impact of the 2015 Preservation Survey

Heidi Marshall, Columbia College Chicago

In 2015, a preservation survey was sent to all 131 CARLI governing member libraries to understand their preservation needs and identify key preservation concerns. A total of 51 libraries (39%) responded. The survey results gave a snapshot of preservation concerns and efforts across institutions and helped shape the work of the CARLI Preservation Committee for the next ten years.

The Preservation Committee’s goal is to work together to identify, develop, and promote preservation practices that are cost-effective and efficient and to share this information with CARLI members through articles and programming focused on an annual theme.

As we mark the 10th anniversary of the first survey, a new survey will be sent to CARLI Member Directors in early February to help us, once again, capture top preservation needs and guide the committee’s work moving forward.

In 2015, the top five preservation concerns from CARLI members were:

• Disaster planning
• Preservation planning and assessment
• Digital preservation
• Audiovisual preservation
• Staff training

Looking back at how the 2015 survey shaped the Committee’s work, one key concern—disaster planning—was addressed through several committee projects over the years. Preservation of a wide variety of materials, directly reflecting survey feedback, was also addressed. Here are some of the key themes covered each year:

• 2015/2016: Focused on audiovisual and media preservation, with articles on assessment, care, storage, and disaster planning for audiovisual materials. Workshops included fire simulation and recovery, open houses, and audiovisual preservation.
• 2016/2017: Addressed disaster planning in depth, from getting started to recovery, with workshops on collections care.
• 2017/2018: Focused on communicating the value of preservation, training staff, and raising awareness, with programming that included library tours and a workshop on salvaging water-damaged materials.
• 2018/2019: Focused on preserving non-book materials like board games, maps, and textiles, with a workshop on choosing protective enclosures.
• 2019/2020: Featured interviews with experts on various preservation topics, including disaster response and digital preservation.
• 2020/2021: Addressed how libraries adapted to the challenges of COVID-19, showcasing how staff pivoted to digital solutions.
• 2021/2022: Revisited disaster planning with new tips on developing plans, disaster kits, and mapping salvage priorities, along with workshops on working with fire professionals.
• 2022/2023: Introduced archival preservation topics, including simple archival processing, funding, digitization, and video game preservation.
• 2023/2024: Focused once more on disaster planning, with new resources for securing institutional buy-in and using apps and technology for disaster response, along with outreach activities like "Table Talk" and a session on heavy metals in 19th-century books.

This year’s theme is “Preservation Outreach and Engagement,” and the 2025 Preservation Survey will give CARLI members a chance to share their preservation needs, thus shaping the future work of the Preservation Committee. We look forward to hearing from you!

Learn more about the Preservation Committee’s work and annual projects online
Explore the Preservation Resources page with links to all sorts of helpful and timely resources.  

View additional articles in the Preservation Outreach and Engagement Series!