General Collection Preservation Policy

The Oregon State University Libraries are committed to the concept and practice of preservation of our general collections as a continuing program that supports our stewardship values. We preserve library materials to prevent, stop, or slow their deterioration; to prevent loss; and where possible and as necessary and appropriate, to improve their condition and their format in order to preserve their intellectual content.

Preservation decisions are made within the context of overall collection policy, balancing cost, space, historical and scholarly value constraints, and user accessibility. Our preservation work focuses on items created by and/or related to OSU and the surrounding communities, support for OSU’s research and instructional priorities, and/or are unavailable from our collaborative consortiums. For more information on other OSULP collections see the ScholarsArchive@OSU preservation policy and OSU Libraries digital preservation policy, linked below.

The practice of print preservation can include:

• training staff and users on proper handling of materials;
• maintaining environmental controls;
• acquiring, processing, storing, and using collections via methods that promote preservation and access;
• repairing, reformatting, or replacing damaged items;
• preventing and managing emergencies that threaten the collection; and
• responsible display practices.

The practice of digital preservation can include:

• acquiring, processing, storing, and using collections via methods that promote preservation and access;
• ensuring long-term access to electronic resources owned by the Libraries;
• repairing, reformatting, or replacing damaged items; and
• reducing the impact of emergencies that could threaten the collection.

We use the following services to preserve materials in the academic disciplines reflecting OSU’s strengths. In addition, we use specific services to preserve materials related to Oregon:

This policy was last reviewed October 2022.