Appendix A: Create a Preservation Prioritization Plan

Overview

The purpose of a Preservation Prioritization Plan is to help an organization know what items should be prioritized for preservation based on content and physical fragility. It is intended to be an at-a-glance overview of the collection that simplifies the decision of what to preserve first. It is especially helpful when applying for preservation funding. In the case of digital readiness, the term “preservation” in this document refers to digitization at the preservation level deemed suitable by the organization or individual. It is recommended to develop target preservation file formats before creating a preservation plan, as these will inform your decision about what items you consider to be already preserved.

This preservation prioritization method was developed by members of the Community Archiving Workshop for the Smithsonian Institution in 2019 as part of the Audiovisual Preservation Readiness Assessment Project (AVPRA). It was used to assist units within the Smithsonian in making preservation decisions for audiovisual collections. It specifically addresses audiovisual formats, but can be adapted for use in paper, photographic, and other collection types.

The plan combines numeric data describing the inherent physical fragility of the collection item with narrative data from collection caretakers to determine what collections are a priority for preservation. It groups collections into “series” based on the content, format, donor, or any other grouping method the organization chooses, and places them in the following categories:

• Highest Priority
• Medium Priority
• Lower Priority
• Preserved
• Not Included in the Preservation Plan

The plan is intended to be a guide, and to change over time or according to funding sources. Ultimately, it is the collection caretakers who are best equipped to identify the priorities for their collections.

Before You Create a Preservation Prioritization Plan

The Preservation Prioritization Plan is the result of a data gathering process that must take place before the plan is assembled. The data gathering process is the foundation which supports and backs up the plan. Before the plan is written, the organization must complete the following three steps:

1. Item level inventory of the A/V collection
   It is ideal to inventory the entire A/V collection, but if you have a good representative inventory of part of the collection, it is possible to work from that.
2. Physical Fragility Scoring added to the Item level inventory
   The Physical Fragility Scoring method (see Part 3 of this Appendix) assigns a number to each type of A/V media, based on its expected inherent fragility. For example, a U-matic tape will be assigned a “1”, because it is very fragile and playback equipment is scarce, and a compact audio cassette will be assigned a “2” because it is more stable, likely to have better longevity, and playback equipment is still being produced. This scoring will provide the organization with a clear understanding of what the most at-risk items are in the collection.
3. Preservation Prioritization Planning Interview
   The Preservation Planning Interview is a brief interview with one or more stakeholders (staff, staff emeritus, media creators, etc.) who care for the A/V collection and have a strong understanding of its cultural value, history and the mission of the organization. This interview helps to categorize the collection into series and defines each collection’s preservation status.

Once the above three steps are complete, this information is synthesized into the Preservation Prioritization Plan.

A note on the audience and writing style: The Preservation Prioritization Plan may be intended for an organization, but it’s helpful to write the plan assuming that the audience is not familiar with the collection. This way, any future audience will understand the plan as a stand-alone document, and the organization may be able to pull language directly from the plan for use in advocacy and grant writing efforts.

Preservation Prioritization Plan Template

Preservation Plan

Name of Organization

Date

Organization Contact: [name]

Plan Preparer: [name]

Part One: Overview

About this Preservation Prioritization Plan
Describe the project, its history, and any other relevant introductory information.

The following documents were used to create this Preservation Prioritization Plan:

• Sample collection inventory
• Preservation plan interview
• Describe any other documents used to gather data for the preservation plan here

This Preservation Prioritization Plan is meant to be used as a guide and support to your organization as it plans for digitization and preservation of its audiovisual collection. Organizations are encouraged to self-assess and revise a preservation prioritization plan annually. As preservation status of the collection changes, and as you gain information about its collection, preservation priorities will change.

About the Collection and the Organization

Paragraph One: Describe the organization, its relationship to its A/V collection, the general content and value of the A/V collection, and include any relevant links, such as organization website and streaming media.

Paragraph Two: Describe the goal of the organization for digitizing and providing access to its collection. Describe any access concerns or restrictions. Describe any important or relevant past or upcoming digitization initiatives. How did they go? Does any work need to be re-done?

Paragraph Three (optional): Describe anything else that is unique to the organization and collection that will help the reader contextualize the Preservation Prioritization Plan.

Paragraph Four: Describe the goal of this Preservation Prioritization Plan, and its intended use.

About AVPRAPPS

Below is language that you can include in your Preservation Prioritization Plan to explain the background of the system on which the plan was developed. 

The system for creating this Preservation Prioritization Plan is based on the Audiovisual Preservation Readiness Assessment Preservation Prioritization System (AVPRAPPS). This system was developed by members of Community Archiving Workshop for use by the Smithsonian Institution in 2019 as part of a multi-year project to inventory and evaluate audiovisual collections across the institution^[1].

The purpose of the AVPRAPPS system is to develop a list of priority collections for preservation based on:

• The fragility of the format
• The importance and uniqueness of the content to the organization
• The preservation status of the collection

AVPRAPPS uses numeric data and narrative data to provide an overview of collection needs. It is intended to be a starting point for directing preservation. Curatorial and organizational input is always primary. Ideally, AVPRAPPS should be administered by the organization annually since collection needs change as collections age and as preservation projects evolve.

There are two parts to AVPRAPPS. The narrative interview requires that the organization list the collections most important to them, and provide data about the collections, including formats, a brief description of content, and the preservation status of the collection (preserved, not preserved, partially preserved, copied but not to preservation standards). The numeric part of AVPRAPPS assigns a base score and a final score to each format based on its inherent fragility. The system is numbered 1-5, 1 being of highest fragility, and 5 being of lowest fragility. If an asset is stored in an unstable environment, or shows signs of severe decay (mold, vinegar syndrome, sticky shed, etc.), it will be reduced by one numeric value. The base score is the score given to the format, and the final score is the revised score.

For example, a VHS tape is rated a “2” on the AVPRAPPS scale. If the tape shows signs of mold growth, its score is reduced by one point. Its base score is “2”, and its final score is “1”.

If an item’s base score is “1”, but it has a condition issue, its score remains “1”. For example, a ¼” open reel audio tape has a base score of “1”. If it shows signs of vinegar syndrome, its score remains “1”. The condition field in the inventory will help guide the AVPRAPPS user in determining what items scoring a 1 may be of higher priority.

A copy of the AVPRAPPS scoring guide is included in this appendix. As formats age, and as the equipment to play them back becomes obsolete, some format types may move up the scoring system, and have a higher base score. Please check the Community Archiving Workshop website for updates if you reassess your collection.

Part Two:  Collection Overview

Describe the estimated A/V format types and number of each in the collection. Use the inventory that you created, in addition to any interviews or supplemental information that you have.

The following is an estimate of the number of items in the collection by format.

• Format: number

• Format: number

• Format: number

• Format: number
• Format: number

It may be useful to break down the format types and amount each of the formats that were inventoried in the inventory process, if it is different than above.

The following is the number of items inventoried on DATE/S

• Format: number

• Format: number

• Format: number

• Format: number

• Format: number

Part Three: Priority Audiovisual Collections for Preservation

This section prioritizes the collections for preservation based on physical fragility and the content, as determined by the organization in the Preservation Prioritization Interview. Since most organizations are unable to preserve everything in their collection at once, this is intended to be used as a guide to support an organization in deciding which collections will be preserved first. This report recognizes that the organization is best situated to make decisions about collection care.

Highest Priority Collections

These collections meet the following criteria:

• They are listed as having high content value by organization staff
• They are unpreserved
• The formats in the collection are 1-2 on the AVPRAPPS scale

Collection Title

Description:

Formats:

AVPRAPPS Base Scale for this format (scale of 1-5 from unstable to most stable):

Amount:

Dates:

Notes:

Preservation Status: (unpreserved; preserved; partially preserved; preserved but not to standards; preservation in process)

Medium Priority Collections

These collections meet the following criteria:

• They are listed as having high content value by organization staff
• They are not preserved or partially preserved but preservation is not ongoing
• The main formats in the collection are 1-2 on the AVPRAPPS scale, though some formats may be at 3

Collection Title

Description:

Formats:

AVPRAPPS Base Scale for this format (scale of 1-5 from unstable to most stable):

Amount:

Dates:

Notes:

Preservation Status: (unpreserved; preserved; partially preserved; preserved but not to standards; preservation in process)

Lower Priority Collections

These collections meet the following criteria:

• They are listed as having high content value organization staff
• They are preserved or preservation is currently active and in progress
• And / or formats have a 4-5 rating on the AVPRAPPS scale

Collection Title

Description:

Formats:

AVPRAPPS Base Scale for this format (scale of 1-5 from unstable to most stable):

Amount:

Dates:

Notes:

Preservation Status: (unpreserved; preserved; partially preserved; preserved but not to standards; preservation in process)

Preserved Collections

These are collections that are fully preserved and are not currently on the priority list. They are worth noting and tracking, however, and may be put back on the list if further preservation or a new method of preservation is needed in the future.

Collection Title

Description:

Formats:

AVPRAPPS Base Scale for this format (scale of 1-5 from unstable to most stable):

Amount:

Dates:

Notes:

Preservation Status: (unpreserved; preserved; partially preserved; preserved but not to standards; preservation in process)

Collections Not Currently Included in The Preservation Plan

These are collections that have not been fully evaluated yet and may be or may become a priority. It is recommended that the organization continue to survey these collections and include them in their next Preservation Prioritization Plan.