BPG Selection for Preservation

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Book and Paper Group Wiki > Selection for Preservation

This page discusses factors that conservation staff, preservation administrators, collection managers, curators, librarians, archivists, and private owners may consider when choosing books to receive treatment or other preservation actions.

Wiki Contributors: Priscilla Anderson, Brenna Campbell, Andrea Knowlton, please add your name here

Copyright 2026. The AIC Wiki is a publication of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC). It is published as a convenience for the members of AIC. Publication does not endorse nor recommend any treatments, methods, or techniques described herein. Information on researching with and citing the wiki can be found on the Reference and Bibliography Protocols page.

Cite this page:

American Institute for Conservation (AIC). "BPG Selection for Preservation." AIC Wiki. June 9, 2026. https://aic.wikiworks.com/wiki/BPG_Selection_for_Preservation.

Introduction

Preservation

• What it is
• Why it is important
• What actions fall under the heading of "preservation"
• Staff involved in preservation decision making

Selection for Preservation

• Definition/Steps

• Identification
• Assessment
• Selection
• Documentation

• Key questions/considerations

• Value
• Risk
• Institutional Resources/cost

Institutional relevance and support

• Importance of a given collection or project to the institution
• Collection Development policies
• Gaining institutional support

Identifying Items for Preservation

Avenues for identification

• Handling/use

• Users

- Research

- Classroom Use

- Tours

- Exhibitions

• Staff

- Accessioning/acquisitions

- Physical processing

- Shelf preparation

- Digitization

- Surveys

- Emergency Response

Information

Types of Information

• Information in the physical artifact

• Materials
• Structure
• Chemical/physical properties
• Material evidence

- Manufacture

- Provenance

- Use

- Care

- Alteration

- Repair

- Aging/deterioration

• Content Information

• Text
• Images
• Data
• Metadata

Criteria for Selection

Value

• Use

• Storage
• Research
• Protected display (exhibit)
• Unprotected display (in-house tours and presentations, classroom use)

• User value
• Current/future value
• Monetary value
• Religious or other spiritual value
• Rarity/accessibility
• Association Value

Risk

• Security risk
• Current physical condition

• Deterioration
• User Safety

- Mold

Usability

(how well can the item be used in its current condition)

Cost

• Monetary cost
• Time cost
• Exclusion cost (e.g. what else won't get done)

History of This Page

This page was originally created as the "Selection for Preservation" chapter of the Book Conservation Wiki's Preservation section. It was moved into the Book and Paper Group Wiki as part of a reorganization in 2016.