For immediate release:
May 19, 2008

For more information, contact:
Kristina Justh
Association of Research Libraries
202-296-2296
kristina@arl.org

ARL Publishes ARL Preservation Statistics 2005–06

Washington DC—The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) has published the ARL Preservation Statistics 2005–06, a compilation of data on the levels of preservation efforts in ARL member libraries throughout North America. Highlights from the report suggest that preservation expenditures are in a steady state. In 2004–05, 107 ARL libraries reported expenditures of $99,931,352. In 2005–06, 111 ARL libraries reported $8 million more spent, an 8% increase from the previous year.

The total number of preservation staff rose to just under 1,800 FTE, 5.4% more than in 2004–05; since 1989–90 ARL libraries have reported more than 1,700 FTE devoted to preservation in every year but one. The number of volumes microfilmed, which spiked up over 200,000 in 2003–04 as a result of large projects at individual libraries, decreased, for the second year in a row, in 2005–06 to 154,857.

Level 1 conservation treatment decreased from 2004–05 levels, while the number of items treated at Levels 2 and 3 increased; total conservation has increased by more than 50,000 volumes in the past year, bringing it higher than it has been in the last four years. Microfilming activity decreased by about 11,000 volumes, to 154,857.

This publication provides much more detailed information about preservation expenditures (including external funds), conservation treatment and preservation reformatting, administration of preservation programs, and staffing patterns. For more information about the ARL Preservation Statistics or to download the data files or a PDF of the publication, please visit http://www.arl.org/stats/annualsurveys/pres/. See below to order print copies of the publication.

Ordering Information

ARL Preservation Statistics 2005–06
Mark Young and Martha Kyrillidou, comps. and eds.
2007 * ISBN 1-59407-786-X (print) ISBN 1-59407-787-8 (PDF) * ISSN 1050-7442 * 56 pages
$120 ($60 ARL members), plus shipping and handling

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The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit organization of 123 research libraries in North America. Its mission is to influence the changing environment of scholarly communication and the public policies that affect research libraries and the diverse communities they serve. ARL pursues this mission by advancing the goals of its member research libraries, providing leadership in public and information policy to the scholarly and higher education communities, fostering the exchange of ideas and expertise, and shaping a future environment that leverages its interests with those of allied organizations. ARL is on the Web at http://www.arl.org/.