Preservation and conservation practices of library materials in academic libraries in the Province and Iloilo City: A basis for a proposed preservation and conservation plan

Abstract

This descriptive study was conducted to determine practices in the preservation and conservation of library materials in academic libraries in the province and city of Iloilo as basis for a proposed preservation and conservation plan. A one-shot survey using a modified instrument from Olatokun and Wole Michael's study (2008) was used to collect data from 33 academic librarians. Data were analyzed using frequency count, percentage, and mean as statistical tools processed through the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Result shows that 73% of the academic libraries are public owned while 27% are private. Majority experienced degradation of printed library materials and incurred minor damages such as those associated with dust, change of color of images in photographic materials, and fungi on disc surfaces in non-print materials. Vandalism and bad shelving of library materials were not experienced. They employed similar essential preservation and conservation practices to avoid deterioration, owned, and managed different storage media for duplication. Inadequate funding was the main constraint, among others, of 97% of the academic libraries. Majority have formulated and implemented preservation and conservation policy. Professional development for staff and educational programs on proper handling of library materials, using proper storage facilities, implementing effective environmental controls, using reformatting and migrating practices for materials that are physically deteriorating, creating disaster recovery plans, and physically treating materials in need of repair and restoration are among the prioritized activities in the proposed preservation and conservation plan for the academic library.