Preservation Policy Analysis Of The University Of Washington

Steph Gunn
04/13/2023
MLIS 688
Professor Colin Post
Preservation Policy Analysis. The University of Washington is home to 14 different academic libraries and various other special collections and archives. The University presents a singular preservation policy that applies to all of the libraries and special collections and archives. This policy is succinct and is fairly effective in its efforts, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. The University of Washington's Preservation Policy aligns well with the University's mission statement as it sufficiently breaks down exactly how the University Libraries work to align with the statement. This is best seen in the "Mandate" section of the policy. The "Mandate" section of the policy features three of the statements made by the University of Washington and the University of Washington Libraries. The first of these statements is Policy No. 5 from the University of Washington Board of Regents Governance and it reads as follows, "The primary mission of the University of Washington is the preservation, advancement, and dissemination of knowledge”(Digital Preservation Policy). This statement reads exactly the same as the mission statement which the University broadcasts on its "Vision &

Either way, a link to more specifics may be valuable within this sub-section. The "Challenges" and "Roles and Responsibilities" sections of the policy are fairly brief but are effective in recognizing the challenges presented to the University including various types of damage to the items and information stored in the archives and special collections. Further, these sections recognize the collective responsibilities which the Libraries hold regarding the preservation of materials and scholarly