Primary Research Group Publishes Survey of Academic Library Special Collections: Processing Born-Digital Content, ISBN 979-8-88517-334-6
Primary Research Group has published Survey of Academic Library Special Collections: Processing Born-Digital Content, a new report examining how academic libraries are acquiring, processing, preserving, staffing, and storing born-digital special collections. The study provides benchmarking data on workflows, formats received, staff training, digital forensics tools, storage infrastructure, and satisfaction with processing capacity and long-term sustainability.
The report finds that many academic libraries are receiving born-digital materials but remain only partially prepared to handle them. Only 38.46% of respondents say their institution has a full workflow for acquiring born-digital materials, while 46.15% report only a partial workflow and 15.38% have no workflow. Digital photographs are the most commonly received born-digital format, selected by 73.08% of respondents, followed by audio/video at 50.00%, and faculty papers and administrative records, each at 42.31%.
Staffing and technical readiness are major themes. Only 38.46% of respondents are very satisfied or satisfied with their capacity to process born-digital content, while 46.16% are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied. Use of digital forensics tools such as BitCurator is uneven: 38.46% use such tools, 38.46% do not, and 23.08% are planning adoption. Staffing depth is thin: 19.23% report no staff with formal training in born-digital preservation, 38.46% report only one trained staff member, and no institution reports five or more.
The study also shows concern about preservation sustainability. 46.15% of respondents are dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with the long-term sustainability of their digital preservation environment. Meanwhile, born-digital collections remain a minority of incoming special collections for most institutions: 53.85% say under 10% of incoming special collections are predominantly or completely born-digital.
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