Primary Research Group has published Survey of Academic Library Special Collections: Digital Preservation Strategy, a new report examining digital preservation systems, system reliability, fixity checks, geographically redundant storage, repository architecture, budgets, staffing, planning, policies, and perceived risks to digital preservation programs.
The report finds that digital preservation adoption is meaningful but incomplete. 50.00% of respondents use a dedicated digital preservation system, while 15.38% use one partially and 30.77% do not use one at all. Research universities are far more likely to have dedicated systems: 68.75% say yes, compared with only 20.00% of all other institutions.
System reliability receives moderately positive ratings. 19.23% of respondents are very satisfied and 38.46% are satisfied with their digital preservation system’s reliability, for a combined positive rating of 57.69%. However, 19.23% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied, showing that reliability remains a concern for a meaningful minority.
Core preservation practices are present but not universal. 57.69% conduct regular fixity checks, while 23.08% do not and 11.54% say fixity checks are planned. Geographic redundancy is also uneven: 53.85% report geographically redundant digital preservation storage, while 30.77% do not and 7.69% are unsure.
Budgets and staffing are major constraints. 53.85% report annual digital preservation budgets under $10,000, while only 7.69% report budgets of $100,000+. Staffing is also thin: 11.54% report zero FTE supporting digital preservation activities, and 34.62% report only 0.1–0.9 FTE, meaning nearly half have less than one FTE devoted to this work.
Planning and policy maturity lag behind technology adoption. 42.30% are satisfied or very satisfied with digital preservation planning and policies, but the same share, 42.30%, are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Open-ended responses point to lack of dedicated staff, unstable funding, vendor dependence, backlogs, obsolete formats, weak documentation, and the absence of a true preservation program in some institutions.