This survey will be used in a Library and Information Sciences research paper on the preservation of electronic media within museums, archives and academic libraries. The purpose of this study is to determine what types of electronic media are in the different repositories collections, what methods and guidelines are being used to preserve electronic media , and what value is placed on the preservation of these mediums.

Listed below are 29 questions that will be used to study the preservation of electronic media and some special questions relating to electronic artwork.

Information pertaining to your specific institution will not be distributed or revealed to anyone. Your answers will be used in a quantitative study of statistical analysis. These findings will be available to you upon request.

Please take a look at the survey and fill out each question to the best of your knowledge.

 

 

Definitions (These are available for reference when filling out the survey.)

  • Electronic media - Any information or artwork that exists in a digital or analog format. For example magnetic tape, CD-ROM, digital graphic images, electronic journals, etc.
  • Storage device - the device that holds electronic media information.
  • Refreshing - moving an electronic file (image, video, etc.) from one storage device to another. For example-video to video or CD-ROM to CD-ROM.
  • Migration - conversion of electronic media from one format to another. For example video to digital, or WordStar document to a Microsoft word document.
  • Emulation - using a type of software that mimics old software and can be used on today's computers
  • Static web site - includes only the information that is written into the markup language.
  • Dynamic web site - includes extensions to the markup language such as Java, JavaScript, Cookies or CGI scripts that enables the web page to react to the users input.

 

 

About your Institution

 

1) What is the name of your institution? (If you would like this survey to remain anonymous please leave blank)

 

2) Please indicate the nature of your institution:

a. academic library
b. museum / historical society
c. archive

 

3) Would you consider your institution to be

a. small (budget under $250,000)
b. medium (budget between $250,000-$1,000,000)
c. large (over $1,000,000)

 

About your Collection

 

4) Does your institution currently have any electronic media in its collection?

a. Yes
b. No (please go to question 27)

 

5) What types of analog electronic media storage devices do you have? (check all that apply)

a. magnetic tape
b. phonograph record
c. Film
d. laserdisk
e. other (please list)

 

6) What type of digitally encoded electronic media do you have? (check all that apply)

a. digital graphic image (jpeg, tiff, gif....)
b. word processed formats, spreadsheet formats, electronic books or journals
c. web sites or other dynamic/interactive programs
d. 3-D imaging (for example VRML)
e. digital video
f. Sound files
g. Other (please specify)

 

7) What types of digital storage devices are in your collection? (check all that apply)

a. digital audio tape (DAT)
b. optical disks including CD-ROM's, audio CD's or DVD's
c. magnetic floppy disks and compressed storage disks(5.25-inch, 3-inch, ZIP...)
d. hard drive
e. other (please specify)

 

8) What types of playing and/or viewing devices does your collection maintain? (check all that apply)

a. VCR
b. DVD Player
c. Cathode-ray tube video monitor
e. Flat panel screen
f. Computer Hardware
g. Audio Tape Recorder
h. Projector
i. Computer applications (real player, acrobat reader, word, flash...)
j. Other (please specify)

 

9) Approximately what part of your collection is made up of electronic media?

a. less than 25%
b. 25%-50%
c. over 50%

 

10) Are there any electronic media components in your collection that are presently unreadable?

a. Yes
b. No

 

11) Based on the information provided above, does your institution make preservation a priority for:

a. All of these electronic media components
b. Some of these electronic media components
c. None of these electronic media components
d. Only certain formats of electronic media

 

12) If your institution has not preserved all of your electronic media what methods of repudiation have you used:

a. put material up for bid
b. recycled or thrown away
c. donated to another institution
d. other

 

 

Guidelines and Practices in Preservation

 

13) Does your institution currently have any written guidelines concerning the collection and preservation of electronic media?

a. Yes
b. No (if no, skip to question 15.)

 

14) Which of the following do those guidelines cover? (check all that apply)

a. acquisition of electronic media
b. storage of electronic media
c. storage of playing and viewing devices
d. encapsulation and/or metadata
e. emulation
f. other (please specify)

 

15) Are you currently collaborating with any other institutions, consortiums, or special groups such as Research Libraries Group or Getty Research Institute in the preservation of electronic media?

a. Yes
b. No

 

16) Has your institution ever digitally scanned or photographed non-electronic media for preservation purposes?

a. Yes
b. No

 

17) Has your institution made non-electronic copies of any static digital information for the purpose of preservation?

a. Yes
b. No

 

18) Has your institution ever refreshed any electronic media?

a. Yes
b. No

 

19) Has your institution ever encapsulated any electronic media?

a. Yes
b. No

 

20) Has your institution migrated any electronic media?

a. Yes
b. No

 

21) Has your institution ever emulated any electronic media?

a. Yes
b. No

 

22. Does your institution plan on preserving any of the playing and/or viewing devices that are currently used for electronic media? (for example VCR, CDR tube monitor, etc.)

a. Yes
b. No

 

 

Issues Relating to Artwork

 

23) Does your institution have electronic media based ARTWORK in it's collection?

a. Yes
b. No

 

24) Has your institution ever discussed internally or with artists how the preservation of electronic media artworks will be handled?

a. Yes
b. No

 

25) Do you have any electronic based artwork that needs to be assembled or installed using equipment that will most likely become obsolete? (For example CRT-video monitor)

a. Yes
b. No

 

26) Does your institution have contemporary artists sign contractual agreements that outline what changes can be made to electronic media artwork for the purpose of preservation?

a. Yes
b. No

 

 

Importance of Electronic Preservation

 

27) Do you feel that electronic preservation is an important issue to your institution?

a. Yes (skip question 28.)
b. No

 

28) Do you feel that electronic preservation should be an important issue for your institution?

a. Yes
b. No

 

29) What factors might limit your institution from preserving electronic media? (check all that apply)

a. financial
b. not part of our collection policy
c. not enough knowledge or professional staff
d. other

 

That's All! Thanks for your time. Please include any comments or questions below and the research investigator will answer you as soon as possible.

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Please feel free to e-mail the investigator separately from this survey if you have any concerns Carey Stumm librarycarey@yahoo.com