Duran-Casablancas, Cristina; (2022) Preservation management modelling in archival and library collections. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

As cultural heritage institutions, libraries and archives are responsible for managing collections in order to ensure access for present and future generations, and sustainable preservation. In pursuing these two goals, institutions face the challenge of determining to what extent preservation actions are beneficial in the context of their own collections. This project contributes to the complex decision-making processes of collections management by developing a mathematical model that shows, quantitatively, the effects of different preservation decisions during a collection’s lifetime. The novelty of this research lies in its approach to preservation management not as single, independent measures, but as a process that is part of a complex system: preservation management is not seen in isolation, but in relation to the other archival and library functions in the broader context of collections management. To meet this aim, complex systems modelling and simulation paradigms, such as system dynamics (SD) and agentbased modelling (ABM), are applied. Applying simulation to model preservation management decisions has the potential to develop into an integrated approach for evaluating and comparing the potential benefits of different preservation measures, which, so far, is lacking. This model will support collection keepers in the complex decision-making process of collection management by comparing different strategies, and therefore finding potential synergies as well as counter-intuitive decision outcomes which otherwise might not have been identified.

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