Primary Research Group has published The Survey of Library & Museum Archival Equipment and Supplies Purchasing Practices, ISBN 157440-208-0.

The 170+ page study looks closely at how libraries and museums purchase archival equipment and supplies, giving data on their budgets and spending, vendor choices, procurement strategies and much more. The report breaks down their spending by type of equipment and supply and also looks at sources of funding and the outlook for the near future.  Other issues covered include: which employees are given authority to order supplies, and the percentage of survey participants who have ordered various types of equipment over the past two years, including digital cameras, temperature and humidity control equipment, pedestals and exhibit cases, archival glues and many other types of equipment or supplies. The report also lists levels of customer satisfaction, types of suppliers used most frequently, and how often archives are able to negotiate discounts with suppliers. 

The report also looks at how frequently survey participants outsource key services such as digitization and exhibit storage, as well as how archives and museums view the prices that they pay and the service that they receive from vendors. It also looks at price control measures, such as online purchasing, price comparison software or websites, use of various discount plans and use of coupons and other means to lower prices. 
Just a few of the report’s many findings are that: 

•	Expenses relating to materials and supplies account for a mean of $11,900 in annual spending among survey participants and make up about 8% of the mean departmental budget.

•	Survey participants get a mean of 74.19% of their departmental funding from their library or institutional budget.

•	A mean of 6.83% of major donations received by survey participants come with additional funds to cover all or some upkeep and maintenance expenses.

•	39% of survey participants with 15 or more employees have purchased digital storage for photos and/or videos.

•	34.21% of survey participants have purchased temperature or humidity control equipment in the past two years, including 50% of survey participants specializing in fine art and culture, 33.33% of those in historic sites and history museums, and 42.86% of survey participants in library special collections departments.

•	Survey participants are generally happy with their suppliers of boards, papers, fabrics, plastics and other mediums, 56.25% saying that they are satisfied, 25% that they are more than satisfied and 9.38% that they are deeply pleased.

Data is broken out separately for academic libraries, public libraries, stand alone archives and museums.  It is also broken out for sites predominantly concerned with fine arts or culture, those concerned largely with science or medicine, for historic sites or related museums, for library special collections and state or city archives. 

For further information view the Primary Research Group website at www.PrimaryResearch.com.

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