Co‐operative preservation activities in the UK: findings of a research project
| Date | 01 June 1999 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/01435129910269035 |
| Pages | 220-227 |
| Published date | 01 June 1999 |
| Author | Paul Eden,Elizabeth Gadd |
| Subject Matter | Library & information science |
Co-operative
preservation activities
in the UK: findings of a
research project
Paul Eden and
Elizabeth Gadd
Introduction
Co-operation has long been recognised as ``one
of the best ways forward if the bulk of material in
the nation's collections is to be preserved''
(Ferris, 1996, p. 1). This view was supported
by a British Library Research and Innovation
Centre (BLRIC)-funded research project car-
ried out in 1996 which looked at preservation
policies and practices in UK archives and
record offices as part of wider research into
national preservation policy (Feather and
Eden, 1997, pp. 24-6). A second BLRIC-
funded research project, begun in February
1998 in the Department of Information and
Library Studies, Loughborough University, set
out to build on this earlier research by
identifying and evaluating current and recent
co-operative preservation activities, and from
this producing guidelines which will help
librarians and archivists to engage in successful
co-operative preservation activity.
This paper reports the initial main findings of
this research. After outlining the research
methodology and providing a working defini-
tion of co-operative preservation activity, it
describes the different types of co-operative
activity identified, discusses the motivating
factors behind them and looks at how they were
funded. It then examines interviewees' and
respondents' perceptions of ``successful''
co-operation, followed by a look at the main
problems encountered by them during their
co-operative activities. A full report of the
research with guidelines will be available from
the British Library Document Supply Centre.
Methodology
The research reported here is based on the
findings from a literature review, requests for
information, a telephone survey, face-to-face
interviews and a postal questionnaire survey.
The research was carried out between February
and September 1998.
The literature review provided an overview of
co-operative preservation activity in the UK
and elsewhere, thereby enabling the project
team to put their own work into context. It also
suggested organisations that should be con-
tacted during the research. This information
was supplemented by responses to requests for
information sent to preservation-related dis-
cussion lists, journals and organisations.
The authors
Paul Eden is Research Fellow, Department of Information
Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.
Elizabeth Gadd is Academic Librarian, Pilkington Library,
Loughborough Universitiy, Loughborough, UK.
Keywords
Archives, Co-operation, Libraries, Preservation
Abstract
Reports the findings of a BLRIC-funded research project,
which set out to identify and evaluate current and recent
co-operative preservation activities, and produce guide-
lines which will help librarians and archivists to engage in
successful co-operative preservation activity.
Electronic access
The research register for this journal is available at
http://www2.mcb.co.uk/mcbrr/lm.asp
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emerald-library.com
220
Library Management
Volume 20 .Number 4 .1999 .pp. 220±227
#MCB University Press .ISSN 0143-5124
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