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Favorite Collaborative Tools in Preservation:
Conducting a Condition Survey
Beyond Borders: San Diego 2012 Annual Meeting of the Society of American Archivists Scott David Reinke Preservation Administrator s.reinke@miami.edu
Condition Survey
Anyone Can Conduct a Survey
Follow these six steps for success
1. Planning 2. Designing the Survey Tool 3. Probability Sampling 4. Conducting the Survey 5. Analyzing the Data 6. Sharing the Results
Condition Survey
Planning
Every project should begin with a plan
1. What collection are you going to survey? • Define the collection parameters
2. What type of materials are in the collection? • Books, manuscripts, photographs, audio/visual, mixed
3. What do you want to learn about the collection? • Types of damage, date ranges, material types, usage
4. How will the survey be designed? • Paper-based, web-based, database, spreadsheet, analytics
5. Who will conduct the survey? • One person, a team, students, interns, staff
Condition Survey
Designing the Survey Tool
The survey tool design will depend on your resources
1. Create a survey tool or use one that is already purpose built, but remember it has to capture the information needed to describe the collection and answer the questions specific to the institution. • Condition Survey Tool for Archival Collections
• http://library.nyu.edu/preservation/archivespreservation.html
• Survey Tools for Audio/Video Collections • http://guides.lib.washington.edu/content.php?pid=57767&sid=4
24274
Condition Survey
Example of a Survey Tool
Circulating book collection; paper survey tool
Condition Survey
Example of a Survey Tool
Archival collection; database survey tool
Condition Survey
Probability Sampling
Allows for unbiased estimates of population totals
1. Without using probability sampling, the results cannot be extrapolated to the rest of the population
2. The purpose of sampling is to save time and money by selecting a subset that describes the population • Sampling methods
• Simple random sampling and stratified random sampling are used for populations with different compositions (homogenous vs. heterogeneous)
• Sample size calculator
• http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm
• Confidence level and confidence interval (95% ± 5%)
Condition Survey
Conducting the Survey
This is the fun part, working with the collections 1. Locate the sample items
• The sampling method and collection type will dictate how the sample items are selected
• The sample could be selected from an OPAC system, a finding aid, or based on shelf, box, or folder locations
2. Fill out the survey tool for each item • If more than one person is conducting the survey, make sure
everyone is trained so the answers are consistent before the survey begins
• Training can consist of having each person survey the same 10 items and then compare the answers to make sure the results match; review and modify as needed
Condition Survey
Analyzing Your Data
Nothing to fear here, this is pretty basic analysis
1. Most of the data that is collected is nominal data, meaning a certain trait is present or absent
2. The data can be arranged in a spreadsheet like Excel, or a statistical program like SPSS for analysis
3. The results are often totals, ranges, medians, averages, or percentages
4. These results can be displayed in tables, charts, or graphs
5. The results should answer the questions proposed during the planning phase of the project
Condition Survey
Analyzing Your Data
An example of data collected from a survey tool
Condition Survey
Sharing the Results
Now that you have done all this work
1. After weeks or months of work, share what you learned about the collections in a meaningful and easy to understand format
2. Charts and graphs are a great way to illustrate quantities and trends found in the data
3. Since you used probability sampling, the data describes the entire collection
4. There is no longer a need to rely on intuition or guesswork; the results provide an accurate picture of the current condition of the collection
Condition Survey
Sharing the Results
Imprint dates from a sample of 385 books
Chart of the Sample Imprint Dates
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
1819
1890
1896
1903
1909
1914
1919
1925
1929
1934
1939
1946
1950
1955
1960
1964
1968
1972
1976
1980
1984
1988
1992
1996
2000
2004
Imprint Year
Num
ber o
f Vol
umes
Condition Survey
Sharing the Results
Percentages of damage found in a 385 book sample
3.64%
23.90%
12.47%
21.56%
1.56%
29.61%
3.12% 3.38%
12.99%
2.34%
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
Dam
age
Leve
ls
HINGES SPINE LOOSESECTIONS
JOINTS SPLITTEXTBLOCK
UV WATER TORNPAGES
PEN HIGHLIGHT
Damage Types
Physical Damage Found in the Sample
Condition Survey
Sharing the Results
Based on the sample, damage levels in the collection
17615
115756
60395
104432
7549
143437
15099 16357
62911
11324
0
20000
40000
60000
80000
100000
120000
140000
160000
Num
ber o
f Boo
ks
HINGES SPINE LOOSESECTIONS
JOINTS SPLITTEXTBLOCK
UV WATER TORNPAGES
PEN HIGHLIGHT
Damage Types
Physical Damage Extrapolated to the Population
Now you have a guide so you can conduct your own condition survey…
Questions?
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