Preservation Policy, Indiana University Libraries - Physical Collections

The responsibility for developing collections brings with it an obligation to ensure that those resources are both accessible and useable. The goal of the preservation program is to preserve collection materials to maintain access to them, consistent with their significance and the needs of library users.

Sustained institutional commitment is essential to accomplishing preservation goals. A comprehensive, sustained, and adaptable preservation program aligned with the Libraries’ goals and priorities can best meet the preservation challenges inherent in supporting the research, learning, and creative activity that are central to the University’s mission. Preservation plans and decisions are made in the context of the Libraries’ collection development policy and collection management strategies and are adapted as needed to meet evolving needs and priorities. 

Permanent retention and preservation of collections built over time support a continuing scholarly exchange and enable a dialogue across time. Information resources have different values for different audiences, and an item’s value may also change over time: an item important today for its informational content may become important to future researchers for its artifactual, aesthetic, or historical value. Preservation efforts strive to balance the varied needs of present-day users with potential future uses.

The effectiveness of preservation efforts depends largely on integrating preservation principles and practices throughout the work of building collections, providing access to them, and facilitating their use. Preservation is a shared responsibility and everyone working in a library has a role in it.

Preservation and conservation measures are undertaken to ensure that materials remain accessible and useable for as long as they are needed, and in the forms most appropriate for their effective use.

The highest priorities for preservation are proactive measures that prevent damage, slow deterioration, and confer the most benefit to the most collections. Many types of damage, deterioration, and loss cannot be corrected or reversed after they have occurred. Preventive actions also reduce the need for costly item-level treatment.

Minimally interventive techniques are used for special and unique collections with the goal of introducing as little change as possible while stabilizing them for their intended uses. The treatment of general collections aims to balance authenticity and integrity with a higher need for durability and usability. Non-damaging materials and reversible treatment methods are used to the fullest extent possible for all treatment and housing.

• Preservationencompasses actions to prevent, stop, or slow deterioration, damage, or information loss; improve the condition and useability of collections through remedial treatment; and copy materials to a stable medium or format to preserve intellectual content.

• Conservation treatment aims to preserve or restore an item’s useability, authenticity, and integrity.

• Copying and reformattingmaintain access to intellectual content, provide security copies, reduce handling of originals, make content more widely available, and/or enhance functionality.

Preservation and conservation activities adhere to accepted preservation standards and best practices, the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Code of Ethics, and the American Library Association (ALA) Preservation Policy.

Priorities for preservation and conservation of specific collections are established through ongoing collaboration with collection managers, curators, and archivists as well as in coordination with those responsible for intellectual access, user services, and collection management. A separate plan should establish priorities for a set period of time in conjunction with the Libraries’ strategic plans.

Materials are selected for preservation according to their condition, value, and use.

Decisions about how to treat or reformat an item are informed by the amount and type of use an item is expected to receive, its storage location, access level, importance to the collection, rarity, and what is possible based on its condition and format.

Real costs and opportunity costs are also factored into treatment decisions. Operational concerns also affect prioritization, including:

• Immediate needs, such as preparing new materials for use by patrons, for exhibit, or digitization

• Coordination with cataloging, processing, collection management, and grant-funded work

• Donor agreements

• Consortial agreements

• Environmental monitoring in collection spaces

• Disaster preparedness and response

• Mitigation of collection hazards such as mold, insect pests

• Condition assessments, surveys, and preservation planning

• Condition review of proposed gifts

• Promoting and supporting best practices for collection storage, handling, and use

• Preparation of book and paper-based materials for exhibit and digitization

• Conservation treatment, stabilization, and repair of books and paper-based materials

• Commercial binding of books, serials, newspapers, and other general collections in bound form

• Enclosures for physical collections in any format

• Reformatting and copying of print materials in the general collection for preservation purposes.

• The Lilly Library is served primarily by its separately administered Conservation Department. The E. Lingle Craig Preservation Department provides paper conservation treatment and automated box-making and supports environmental monitoring activities performed by the Lilly Conservation Department.

• The Music Library manages commercial binding of multi-part scores and monographs.

For IU Collections and IU Bloomington departments and offices

• Emergency disaster assistance

• Consultations, advice on preservation and conservation

• Machine-made enclosures on a time-available basis for the cost of materials

For the public

• Consultations on caring for personal collections

• Guidance on choosing a conservator

• Guidance on selecting storage materials

Digital preservation of born-digital and converted print, visual, and audio-visual content

is the responsibility of the Digital Collections Services Department in the Library Technologies Division. See the Libraries’ Digital Preservation Policy.

The IU Libraries Moving Image Archive provides preservation services to all IUB and statewide campuses for all motion picture film and video formats. This includes inspection and condition reports, rehousing, conservation, consultation, and digitization.

Herman B Wells Library

• Research collection
• University Archives
• Government Information, Maps, and Microforms
• Media Services
• Moving Image Archive

Ruth Lilly Auxiliary Library Facility

• IUB Libraries collections
• BTAA Shared Print Repository

Cook Music Library

• General collections
• Rare books and special collections
• Archives of Traditional Music

Business/SPEA Library

Education Library

Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center

Sciences Library

Wylie House Museum

• Herman B Wells Library Undergraduate Collection including Core, Career, and Browsing Collections
• RPS Libraries
• Law Library
• Kinsey Library
• Archives of African American Music and Culture
• Black Film Center & Archive
• Indiana Institute on Disability and Community
• LGBTQ+ Library