George the Magnificent

Prepare to Be Amazed!

Number Crunching: Or How I Learned I Wanted to Participate in Preservation Statistics

George Blood

Digital Conversion Interest GroupAmerican Library Association, Preservation and Reformatting SectionSan Francisco 2015

- regression to the mean

- Gaussian distribution

- standard deviation

- agglomerative nesting

- statistically significant

- Shewhart charts

- etc.

Statistical Concepts

Why collect data? Why do data analysis? •base lining•quantify change•resource allocation•advocacy

Why collect data? Why do data analysis? •You might consider that the collection of this data could be the highest value-added resource allocation, or process change you can make!

Improving the art of preservation

Risk Factors Impact!Mold < 1% 50% With Record Tabs Intact

Average Durations

Audiocassette:

Reel:

MiniDisc:

Analog Disc:

Microcassette:

DAT:

53 Minutes

50 Minutes

60 Minutes

6 Minutes

30 Minutes

69 Minutes

Stylus Size

Speed: % from 78.26 rpm

Speed / % (count)

Pitch / % (count)

Do actions match words?

We know some audio media are highly endangered due to inherent vice deterioration vectors. Are they being prioritized for digitization?

Lacquer Discs

DAT

MiniDiscs

Columbia 35,766 Total Objects Other 0.21%

Indiana 364,867 Total Objects

Distribution of Objects

Distribution of Objects

Media at Risk Actual process rate: 4% lacquer discs~1% DAT~1% MiniDisc

- reference requests

- number of people in the reading room per hour

- telephone inquiries

- disasters responded to

- track digitization against web activity and traffic in

special collections

Library Examples

How complicated does it have to be?

How complicated does it have to be?

- Use a text program to print out sheets of paper

with basic stats.

- Assign someone to collate daily data handed in daily.

- Download the Preservation Statistics from the website

and use THAT form to gather information daily, weekly,

monthly, per project, or as appropriate.

- A GoogleDoc or other shared spreadsheet, anyone?

If you keep up with it, completing

the survey each year will take 10 minutes!

Why collect data? Why do data analysis? •You might consider that the collection of this data could be the highest value-added resource allocation, or process change you can make!

Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics: Or How I Learned I Wanted to Participate in Preservation Statistics

George Blood

Digital Conversion Interest GroupAmerican Library Association, Preservation and Reformatting SectionSan Francisco 2015