Accumulation of wear and tear in archival and library collections. Part I: exploring the concepts of reliability and epidemiology

Abstract

Wear and tear is the outcome of degradation most frequently reported in assessments of archival and library collections. It is also problematic to study in controlled experiments, due to the difficulty in reproducing the conditions in which original objects are kept and used in archives and libraries. Hence, data collected from actual collections, for instance during surveys, could provide the evidence on how wear and tear occurs. However, to be useful, such data need to be purposely collected and analysed: unlike the usual collection surveys, the aim is not to quantify the prevalence of a certain damage type but to provide evidence on how such damage occurs. In this paper we explore whether two approaches used in other disciplines could be useful: reliability engineering, the method that deals with failure in complex systems, and epidemiology, which explores diseases in defined populations. We show that based on reliability engineering we can decide which data related to the causes of mechanical failure should be collected during collection surveys, while using epidemiology we can develop the study design and the data analysis needed to study the relationship between mechanical failure, and the factors that might affect the degree of failure. The results of epidemiological studies in heritage collections could provide quantitative evidence of patterns of decay in collections, and corroborate the qualitative analysis provided by reliability. The results can directly support collection management decisions or can be used in mathematical models in which the effect of preservation measures is explored.

A Model to Determine Optimal Numbers of Monograph Copies for Preservation in Shared Print Collections

“…18 Other guides to risk assessment are also available. 19 We identified four factors as critical for the long-term survivability of monographs: (1) on-shelf probability; (2) bibliographic inaccuracy; (3) accidental physical loss or irreparable damage; and (4) gradual physical deterioration, which depends on the initial condition and future storage environment. * A discussion of other factors that might impact title availability is provided later in this paper.…”

Accumulation of wear and tear in archival and library collections. Part II: an epidemiological study

“…Hence, the analysis of data collected in real case studies remains essential not only to validate the experimental model, but also to evaluate whether other factors should be taken into account for the full understanding of the mechanical degradation process. For instance, the classification of failure causes used in reliability engineering has been suggested as a method to list the factors contributing to mechanical degradation [6]. This classification divides the causes of failure into factors prior to use (design and manufacture) and factors during use (maintenance and usage).…”